This Photo is Alive

Some of us may never see the value in snapping photos at every opportunity, but for the ones that do, you’ll be very thankful down the road. For me, it’s about capturing the mood of a particular moment that’s most important. If your family and friends pose for every shot, then they will look very similar in every picture you take.
Next time you turn on that camera try and resist the urge to draw attention to yourself by waving your arms frantically and shouting ’over here!!’, or waiting until it’s all smiles all around, instead take a few shots of whatever is happing right now; without warning. I think you will be pleasantly surprised more often than not. I’m not saying each photo will be great, but they will all catch the genuine mood of that particular moment in time and in ten years (or longer) you can look back at that photo and remember what it felt like to be behind the lens at that moment.
Think about this for a moment, what is your favorite memory about that formal photography studio photo hanging on your wall? Probably have most of you scratching your heads and thinking, “well… I remember saying cheese…and.. ah…” I’m not bashing studio’s here, we all go to them throughout the year for wonderful photos but generally there is no ‘life’ to the photos. Now think about that shot of little Susie jumping on her brand new trampoline with a genuine smile on her face… now that’s life!
It’s great to see smiles in photographs, but remember to try and add a little life in them as well, your grandkids will thank you!