I’m always told to put down my phone or camera so that I can just live in the moment. Because I’m not really living if I’m too focused on getting the right angle and lighting. I’m constantly reminded that I already have pictures of whatever I’m photographing; why do I need another one? I’m told that taking and keeping photos is living in the past, and we should be living in the present.
(My friend, Maggie O’Brien)
However, as a military child, I quickly learned that nothing is forever. Change is always going to happen, and it’s better to just go with it than fight it. But a picture will never change. That moment that I captured is permanent forever. Even though the people in the photograph change and move on, that memory is still preserved. That exact moment will never happen again because it’s unique in it’s own way. For a visual person, pictures and videos are so important to me.
(My friend, Jon Copley)
Growing up, I moved away from most of my closest friends. They’re scattered all over the country: California, Nebraska, Colorado… Some I stay in constant contact with, some I talk to every few months, and some I only hear from them via their posts on social media. But I have pictures and videos from the few years we got to spend together. I can go back and watch videos, hear their voice, witness again all the memories that we made. In the end, the memories were all I had left.
(My friend, Sierra Lawrence)
Most of my friends groan when I suggest we all take another picture or when I ask a stranger to take a picture of us. I want them to understand why I do that. Because life is always changing, and we need to remember the good times any chance we can. When I’m older, I’ll be able to look back at these photos and remember all of these moments. I can go through my box of pictures that I’ve printed out and laugh at a memory that I otherwise would’ve forgotten. Just because I’m taking a photograph doesn’t mean I’m not living in the moment. I’m preserving it.
(My friend, Kristina Reitz)
With our constantly busy lives, we’re so focused on all of our other responsibilities that we forget what’s most important in life: family and friendship. And pictures can remind us of that.
(My family)
HC xoxo,
Alyssa Harmon