What is the value of a photograph? In the world we live in today, taking photos has basically become a daily habit. We feel obligated to share photos on social media outlets such as Instagram and Facebook. We go a restaurant and order an amazing meal, or attend a wedding or some other event; we have to share it with friends on Snapchat. Our lives have become a living scrapbook of photos!
Now, take a minute to stop and think about the value of the photos that you take. Which ones are you going to remember the most?
This last week was mentally and emotionally exhausting for me. My grandparents are in declining health, and my grandmother recently had another stroke. She is slowly recovering, but there are "good" days and there are "bad" days. It's a slow process that is hard to watch. In addition, my uncle passed suddenly, leaving this earth at the age of 52.
The only word that I can use to describe it is overwhelming. There is so much pain and stress coming from both sides of my family...it will take me a while to process everything.
While visiting my grandparents, I couldn't help but think back to some family photos that I had taken three years ago. Watching them, it hit me...they weren't going to be the same loving personalities that I had photographed. Those people no longer exist. It was in this moment, that I began to look back on one photo in particular.
I realized that this photo which once seemed like a simple snapshot was now extremely valuable! This photo is the last captured memory of how I will always remember my grandparents. Always full of laughs, full of smiles, full of personality, and most of all full of LOVE!
My uncle's sudden passing has been a bitter pill to swallow. I feel terrible that him and I were unable to put our differences aside and make amends. I'm left with questions that I will never get an answer to. One of the biggest regrets that I have is the fact that I do not have any recent photos of him and I, on good terms. I have a few memories...but I'm sure that without a photograph to remind me, they will eventually fade over time.
I do owe him a "Thank You" though...because without him, photography wouldn't be prominent in my life today. Looking back, it was one disagreement and one camera that I "had to" return to him, that pissed me off and motivated me to purchase my own camera! And, as they say...the rest is history!
To all of you, Thank you! I hope you have enjoyed reading this post. With everything that has happened, I found this to be a very therapeutic way to reflect on this past week. I'm sure my family and I will continue to find the strength to keep pushing forward, we always do.
My plan is to refocus on my photography and continue to work with my group of amazing models! I owe it to my grandparents, my uncle, and myself to continue to try to push my photography to higher and higher levels...and that is exactly what I am going to do!