Capturing Moments

I was never really interested in photography as a kid, though I did think cameras were very cool. As an adult, I've grown to appreciate images captured on film, or digitally, and I enjoy trying to capture my own. I've realized, though, that my appreciation of photography is rooted in a much deeper desire. First of all, I think there are two different types of photographs (this is just my perception, not necessarily the reality for people who know and study it). There are images that are created to be aesthetically pleasing, for which the context of them is either irrelevant or somewhat secondary to the beauty of the angle or color or some other visually appealing quality . I'll call these the artistic photographs. The second type is an image that is taken in an attempt to capture the very context in which it is taken, an attempt to capture the time and place and energy and emotion that were present as the shutter opened and closed. These are the realistic photographs. Now, I don't want to get all caught up in artistic versus realistic, as obviously those two terms are not mutually exclusive, but let's just say for the sake of my random thoughts that those are the two types.

I tend to crave the ability to take realistic photographs, to capture what I see and what I feel with one little flip of a switch. The reality is that this is a fairly unattainable goal. I realize that when I take a photograph in a particular moment, from a particular viewpoint, even I myself do not truly sense the whole reality of that moment when I view the image later. So my desire to share that moment with someone else is somewhat dashed. I am still happy to share a beautiful image, but I am disappointed that the whole of the moment cannot be captured.

As I am writing this, I'm wondering if maybe God feels the same way about his written word. He wants so much for us to understand just a little bit of how much He loves us, of what love truly is, of what unconditional love actually feels like, of how tenderly He adores His creation. But the words are just words, or are they? Can they look us in the eye and convey the compassion that He holds for us? Can they wrap their arms around us and assure us that we are loved? I have to say, I think God speaks to us beyond the words on the page, but I guess I am getting a little lost from the photographs. I just thought of that and had to throw it in.

Anyway, I think the underlying desire I have in trying to capture reality in a photograph is the desire to share the moment with someone. Not just share the moment with someone in the sense that they are standing right there and seeing the same image. More than that. I think I have a desire for someone, just once, to experience my perception of the world exactly as I do. I think there is great value in the fact that we all have individual perceptions and experiences, that we can discuss them and celebrate them and appreciate the same things in different ways, or appreciate different things in the same ways. But I think sometimes I just wish that I could share my little moments of appreciating beauty with someone in such a way that explanation isn't necessary. Wouldn't that be amazing? I have sort of realized, though, that I fall short every time I try to create this shared experience. I don't plan to stop taking pictures, but I think I will try not to expect anything from them anymore other than a nice way to bring back memories. Maybe I will discover some sort of artistic talent that does allow me to share moments with other people, but I have realized that photography doesn't quite fulfill that desire.