I am really passionate about photography, and whenever I leave the house I always take my camera. The only exception would be for grocery shopping, but in this case, I would have my smartphone in case of an emergency photo opportunity.
Photography changes the way we see things that surround us on a daily basis. You begin to see detail and beauty in all things that surround you which you may not have noticed otherwise. It brings you closer to nature and captures those special moments in time that would otherwise be lost forever. It also brings great joy to other people. If you don’t believe me, take a photo of a football match or a hockey game and give a copy to the players later. They will be so thrilled and they will share it on social media to make sure all their friends see it as well.
When you take a closer look at the wonders and perfection of nature that surround you, you can’t help but feel a stirring deep down, at the beauty and perfection you are witnessing. You develop a whole new perspective on life.
So let’s examine the gratitude list a little more closely.
1. Documenting Moments in Time
Do you have some old photos of yourself or your grandparents around the house? See how the photos looked back then with everyone posed so stiffly and the photos were always black and white? Well if it weren’t for those photos you may never actually know what you or they looked like back then! Aren’t you grateful you have those photos?
Babies first smiles and first steps, a wedding, a special picnic with friends or a lover, your favourite pets playing, some embarrassing moment you’d rather forget but now it brings a smile to your face. Every time you look at the photos you relive those moments when that picture was taken, cementing the memory forever.
2. Photography teaches you a different perspective
Once you set out on this photographic journey you will notice that suddenly the mundane everyday objects that surround you become interesting subjects to photograph. A pile of wood, a cobblestone paved road, a street lamp etc, which you have never paid much attention to before besides noticing that it was there, suddenly take on a whole new meaning.
The pile of wood with the final rays of the day’s sunlight reflecting off it suddenly displays a wonderful red glow and texture you have never noticed before. The cobblestone paved road you walk on every day becomes a continuous flow of geometric patterns and the old street lamp you have passed by a hundred times and never really looked at, may be very old, possibly handmade and full of intricate carved detail you never paid much attention to.
When watching a sunset, which happens relatively fast there is far too much detail happening simultaneously for us to take in every aspect of it at once. However, when looking at our photos later, we see reflections, colours, shapes and shadows we never noticed before.
3. Inspiration, Imagination and Self Confidence Booster
When we have a true passion for photography we are inspired to becoming more and more creative. We take a photo of an object from different angles, affording us a view we may never see otherwise. We are inspired to photograph otherwise mundane objects and turn them into a piece of art. When a youngster takes a photo of their friends and it gets shared on social media, the youngsters’ self-esteem is boosted, and maybe just maybe a new passion is aroused.
4. Photography as a Stress Reliever
You would be amazed to realise how well photography works as a stress reliever. If you are not the type of person to “just go for a walk” to relieve some stress, then go for a walk with another purpose altogether, armed with a camera and start taking some photos. Now you have a “walk with a purpose”. You would be amazed how your focus shifts away from your problem and to the subject at hand. And after a while, you realise how the stress has lifted and you can approach your challenge from a new angle and a different perspective altogether. What you thought was an insurmountable problem half an hour ago turns out to be a minor challenge, simply by having diverted your attention elsewhere for a short while.
I have mentioned only a few points here why I am grateful to have photography in my life. There are endless reasons why photography is something we should be grateful for. Even if we ourselves are not photographers, we should be grateful to all those wonderfully talented photographers out there. Why? well, Imagine how boring a magazine or an advert would be without the photos! We would only pay it half the attention or none at all. And besides we get to see the world without leaving our homes!
