I feel like we don’t appreciate our time enough, especially the time that we dedicate to ourselves. Whether it is something as simple as going on a walk or as complex as going away for a weeklong vacation, we are always worrying about what’s next.
It always feels like we have to get back to the library or that this is the last day before we go home from vacation. Because of this, we never slow down and enjoy what’sright in front of us.
I grew up with my dad constantly taking pictures of my siblings and me, between camping trips and sports games. In July 2021, my family and I went to Acadia National Park in Maine, and I took my dad’s old camera with me – this camera is actually still sitting on my desk next to me as I write this – to try to take some pictures.
Trying to capture the beauty of a place like Acadia is impossible, but it was so much fun, even if the pictures came out awful. A few years later, during my freshman year of college, I truly started to get into photography and learn how to use a camera. Most of my time now is spent working in athletics, typically filming games, editing videos, and taking photos.
Outside of work, I love to bring my camera with me and document places I go. I often find that this is the work I revisit and appreciate the most, not because it’s the “best” work I have ever done, but because of the feelings and memories that are held behind these photographs and videos. My camera helps me be present in the moment. It forces me to stop, look around, and appreciate what is around me, allowing me to choose what to include and exclude from the small 3:2 frame of a photograph.
If I take my camera on a walk, I am not walking just to walk and get from point A to point B but instead to find what is interesting and worth capturing.
I appreciate sunny days more because of the blue skies they provide, the way trees contrast against them, and the people who bring life and perspective to an environment. I appreciate sunrises and sunsets because of the colors that fill the sky and the stillness that accompanies each.
In a world that moves so fast, photography helps me slow down and be present in current moments. It preserves moments and brings feelings and fond memories flooding back into my mind. In stopping to take a photograph or setting my camera up to film, I am not just capturing a view but appreciating a feeling and an experience.
Right now, I am looking across my room at two photos I have framed from a trip to Switzerland earlier this year, and I am immediately brought back to memories of joy, family, and awe from an experience that concluded months ago. Although the lighting in the photo is great and the mountain looks awesome, I love the photo because I was skiing with my cousins, I didn’t just take a photo, but I preserved a memory.
It doesn’t have to be a camera, but I think everyone could slow down a little. We don’t need to rush around all the time; instead, we can slow down, notice more and appreciate what is in front of us.
