This may sound biased coming from someone who’s been an avid photographer since 6th grade, but I think photography is one of the greatest forms of self-expression. Capturing life’s greatest moments through a second lens is an easy way to treasure your experiences for decades on.
In December 2022, I was lucky enough to be gifted my own Nikon D3500, which I became quite familiar with over the years due to my roles in my school’s yearbook and personal creative efforts. Before that, my childhood consisted of dramatic iMovies with the neighbors and silly Musical.lys that I thankfully deleted before anyone found.
Essentially, creative outlets have always been a part of my life. With the influx of digital media, I’ve found nothing but flourishing efforts from those avenues.
This may be a personal flaw, but I’ve never been able to remember all the memories and journeys I’ve traveled on a whim. I look for reminders in my camera roll quite often and frankly, I find comfort that my memories are stored in .jpeg format or printed out for safe keeping. I cherish the idea of showing my future kids the life I once lived through my perspective and others.
The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do.
– Andy Warhol
However, this future isn’t real yet, and although it sounds like photography only contributes to future efforts, the simple click of a button actually provides a lot more current benefits to your well-being than you may presume.Â
Allowing you to embrace the moment in front of you, photography brings attention to the small things, no matter how trivial they may seem. Your personal experiences, whether they’re meant to be creative or not, can be romanticized and lead you to discover details you may have been missing the whole time.
Photography allows you to share perspective with others and capture your surroundings in an emotionally telling way. Because photos can tell the stories we do not, observing through a lens is one of the best ways to foster your relationships with others and your surroundings.
Photography can also break down cultural borders, speaking a uniform language all can interpret in their own light. Capturing an observation through a photograph can spread discoveries many might not ever see. If you’re unable to travel, living vicariously through others’ lens perspectives is one place to start.
But, of course, this is not to discourage you from living in your moments. I’m not asking you to shove an iPhone camera into everyone’s faces all the time. There’s a fine line between cherishing modern advances and keeping true to a wholesome, offline perspective and lifestyle.
However, for me, it may be a lost cause regarding my screen time. I’ll continue to find myself digging through my phone and its 8,942 media uploads to find memories that take me back in time. Photography truly captures a well-lived and well-loved life to its fullest capacity, and I urge you to take more photos to share your small slice of world interpretation.Â