I have been picture taking more than usual this year. I have developed a knowledge for what I like in my pictures… what I see and am trying to capture.
Beauty. Yet my idea of beauty is constantly changing. Sometimes I am trying to capture the Beauty of Living… as in the blog below of Zachary. I love his zest for life. It is such a beautiful thing. It is draining, exhausting and annoying at times but I can never escape the raw beauty that he has for life.
Then there is the Beauty of Loving… as in capturing the essences of a relationship… whether it is between people or nature. I love this picture of Tyler and his pup. It says so much to me about them sharing a quiet moment.
As I have aged, I have hated having pictures taken of me. I never see me… but all I see is the changes that have happened over the years. I see the bumps on my faces that came for no apparent reason yet will not leave… I see the poundage (I am not even going to go there)… I see all that I don’t like about me.
I seem to always miss the beauty that is in the picture. There are not a lot of pictures of me compared to the others because I am always (by choice) behind the camera. But I have had to make a conscious decision to change that. Oh… I still HATE getting my picture taken. I am sure that isn’t going to change in the near future. But… I am teaching my children things… good and bad… all by my reactions…
Lately, in the last year, I have been snapping pictures of people that are in my life. Most of them I like/love very much. I am so delighted when I capture them in the perfect picture. Many respond the same as I would… ” I never like my picture or like what I see” but I guess the key is really WHAT OTHERS SEE! It is probably obvious what features you may not like about yourself… usually the first one is weight. Then there are wrinkles or a nose or many other flaws that haunt many of us.
But when I capture what I think is the perfect picture of you… I see so much more. Usual the first thing I try to capture is that smile. I try to capture the soul that is my friend. I try to get that beauty that is such a blessing in my life. I try to capture all things that have made you beautiful to me. That usually has nothing to do thing what you have on. Actually it is most never that is on the outside.
So if I find a “my perfect picture of you” know that it is how I see you. Beautiful.
You are beautiful to me. Your friendship is one of the beautiful things in my life.