I am not writing today to try to pitch my business and sell sessions, gain more clients, or get a bigger following on social media. I’m writing because I want to get you thinking. I want you to be able to think about your life differently; to see certain moments and really feel them, and to be aware of the world around you. I want you to think outside of the box.
I am not like everyone. I carry my camera everywhere, and I snap photos that, to the average onlooker, may not make sense. I take photos of the most mundane moments in my life, and I try to do that for my clients too.
“Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” Lao Tzu
I read that quote recently, and it has become a mantra for the way I live my life and for my photography. I constantly have it in the back of my mind.
It forces me to think outside of the box when I am photographing. Too often, I get my heart set on an image before my camera is even in my hand. I want the lighting to be perfect. I want my composition to be perfect. But I am learning to “rejoice in the way things are.”
While lighting and composition are a major part of my work as a photographer, so are real, honest, authentic moments.
I am working on a 365 day project. My goal is to take one photo ever day in 2017. I want them to be beautiful, but even more so, I want them to capture a memory, because in the end, all we have are our memories.
Time moves so, so fast. Things can change in the blink of an eye. So capturing moments that may seem mundane at the time, may be the only evidence you have of a memory.
Perfect happiness is a beautiful sunset, the giggle of a grandchild, the first snowfall. It’s the little things that make happy moments, not the grand events. Joy comes in sips, not gulps. Sharon Draper
Clients always believe that they have to wait until a significant event to hire a photographer. They want to wait until their house is spotless and their kids are on their best behavior. However, life isn’t going to wait. It is so full of little things that make our life beautifully honest.
So my question to you today is this: What is happening right now, today, in this moment that you would want to remember the rest of your life?
It can be something as small as the way your son looks at you…
Or as monumental as the way your father looked at you when he gave you away.
It could be the curls in your daughters hair…
Or the way it felt to welcome a new member to your family.
So, look around you right now. If you could capture anything in this moment, big moments or small details, what would it be?
I urge you, today, to look for beauty in the mundane and rejoice in the way things are.
I love this, Lauren. Your pure approach to photography is captivating. We’re living in an 1800’s home we recently renovated with our two dogs. Both are getting older and Mike and I are in our third year of marriage. I know that in 5 years our lives will look insanely different. I want to document every day, mundane and exciting. This is a beautiful post! Thank you for sharing what you do!