A sunset. A phenomenon which is beyond description. We have been witnesses of it for thousands of years, but every single time it is different.

One day, I decided to observe this marvelous event. I picked a right time and found a perfect spot. It is like I had a chance to be a spectator of a unique performance where the sun had a leading role. I took my seat in the lap of a high mountain and began to look passionately at the stage in the shape of the sky. There were only a few disappearing clouds which were not somewhere above but almost below the horizon… It’s only a matter of seconds before the show begins. The camera is set, the moment is coming…

I have noticed an interesting tendency nowadays – we want to take a picture of everything; we are afraid that something will never occur again, so there is a feeling of urgency to capture at least a fraction of it. It is not possible to pause the time, but a single click allows us to create a memory and look at it some time after…

I am just sharing.

Having a camera on you 24/7 has not been a problem for a long time. Pros and cons? Well, many of us will doubt that there might be any drawback. But might there?…

Think of the past. A hundred years ago, taking a photo of say a family was impossible without many connections, wealth and, of course, time. Today, such ‘inconveniences’ are highly minimized. And it is great but… As it happens, the easier something gets, the less value it has. What do we do when we take a bad picture? It is deleted in less than a second. I suppose, back in time, there was no such thing as ‘bad picture.’ Every captured moment was extremely important with no option of ‘deleting’ it. However, we carefully select maybe one photo out of ten, and then we have so many of them that there is no room left. Is it not a paradox?

I am just sharing.

And still, we need cameras; we need memories which mean something more than just an image; which evoke more than just emotions; we need them because sometimes they can transform our mind into the reality of the past and make us feel it one more time; we need pictures so later we can have a proof that something happened; and, for some people, it is even a replacement of status, beauty, and life. We are all trapped in the need of being present, and you cannot have an alternative here, so I am not going to argue about that. My issue is not with one of the best innovations of all time, don’t get me wrong.

Thus, am I saying: “don’t take pictures?” Of course, I am not. The photo camera is not a bad thing in itself. Nonetheless, we should not give priority to this digital device at any time and any place so that later we can show something to our friends or ourselves. Because the camera shows but does not tell; it provides but does not give; it makes but does not create… Our mind is a fragile, remarkably special archive, and our eyes are better than any lens: they do not need filters or focuses to truly enjoy what is in front of them.

I am just sharing.

So, I’m there, waiting for a performance called “sunset.” I take a photo… Ah, a blurry image. I decide to clean the lens but, suddenly, I notice a hawk right above the sun… An amazing scene. “Anyway, I don’t have time for it, – I said to myself, – I have to keep cleaning the lens». I take the second picture – a wrong focus, plus – didn’t catch the bird… Third time – now it is not blurry, the focus is right, but it is not as my eyes see it at all. After trying a few more times, the sun is gone. I thought. On the one hand, there are going to be plenty of other sunsets, but on the other – the missed one will never be repeated. In all that fuss I could not manage to capture the wonderful view. Both digital and physical memories did not record it.

There are cases when we should go to the beginnings and learn how to find pleasure in our vision; how to fill the soul with indescribable emotions instead of filling the memory of our devices; how to be passionate about what seems to be triviality – because the world is so much more than we think and the life may seem much more colorful if we look at it from different perspective. I am not claiming it as a ‘must,’ I am just sharing what I feel; I’m just sharing my truth.

Sure enough, all of us have our kinds of moments which cameras will not be able to convey at all. It is not just about a picture but an intangible atmosphere that technology is not capable of handling yet. Some things will never get the shot but will only be replicated in our minds.

I am just sharing…

Fred Taylor

 

---

I’m always glad to hear not only good comment but also critics, suggestions and so on. Hopefully, reading this blog will not be a waste of time for anyone, but rather it will be a source of inspiration, new and useful ideas or at least just a pleasant “balm” for your minds. So, if you enjoyed my thoughts, please share it on social networks to let others read it!