This is a collage of my recent favorite series of shots:
On the left is my partner in crime, Alfred. On the right, is my handsome, adorable, one-year-old nephew Amir. They were engaged in a staring match, that ended up in fits of laughter because of their funny faces!
It was such a tender moment, and I was glad to have captured it.
Why did I take these photos? Amir’s smile makes me feel good. His smile lights up the room, and his laughter makes all booboos go away. I took these photos because I wanted to capture those smiles in a way that would allow me to keep going back to them. Yes, that’s mainly why I take photos now – for memory keeping. I want to keep memories of this time in Amir’s life. He will grow up and might be embarrassed to give his old aunt a kiss in front of his friends, but I can always look to this photo, and the hundreds of snapshots we have of him, and all will be well.
I take photos of food I eat, things that interest me, people I’m with. I photograph everyday things, and special things too. All these I take because I want to remember them well someday.
There was a time when I took photos because I wanted to improve at photography. I photographed for art’s sake. But that didn’t work out for me. It frustrated me at times. But once I reframed my thoughts in line with why I really want to take those pictures, the experience became more enjoyable, and fulfilling.
Sometimes I wonder if we only photograph the beauty around us so we can later surround ourselves with what is good and beautiful. But you know what, sometimes I photograph the ugly too (if it turns out beautiful still, then that’s great!), and the sad. They are still memories worth preserving anyway.
Last month I posted the question on Facebook, why am I taking pictures? I am happy to be surrounded by people who are also after preserving memories.
