Living In The Moment

I watched the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty tonight. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the movie since I waited over a year to see it. In one of the scenes near the end one of the characters, Sean O’Connell had a line that resonated with me.

If I like a moment, for me, personally, I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it.

I’m one of those odd photographers that doesn’t have a camera in front of my face all the time. When I’m spending time with my family, I just want to be there. I don’t want to be thinking through the process of taking a photo. I’d end up missing out on an oppertunity to be in the moment. For me, the feeling just isn’t the same.

When I go to take a photo I have a mental checklist I automatically go through.

• White Balance
• Exposure
  • Do I need a fast shutter speed to freeze the subject or do I need a shallow depth of field to isolate it
• Framing
• Focus

I do this now days without much thought but it still removes me farther from the moment than I want to be. It’s the difference of smelling a delicious meal and tasting it. I’m not satisfied only getting a whiff of pizza, I want to stuff my face with it! Also brownies, they cut to the core of me… shoutout to my wife with the Anchorman quote.

I’m not saying that it’s bad to whip out your phone for a quick photo. I will say don’t live life to take photos, take photos to remember the life you lived. I’ll make an exception for landscape photographers, you guys rock with your beautiful art.