Don’t go another day without picking up a camera.
I am not a visual person. I cannot draw, paint or create any sort of masterpiece in an artistic way. It’s not my gift no matter how hard I try or how many different attempts I make. However, contrary to all of the above, I have dabbled slightly in photography during the past six months. Because of this new hobby, it seems that I am looking at the world through a completely different lens.
Throughout the day people look at millions of details without realizing the story behind them. When those details become a photo they become more apparent, more obvious. Capturing a 1/60^th of a moment is a spectacular, almost therapeutic thing. Spending hours on end chasing a sunset on one of the two beautiful days in January is calming. Problems in life dissolve, and the photo that arises right in front of your very eyes is much more important and much more captivating.

Everything is fast-paced. There is never a day without a list of things to do that need to be crossed off, or somewhere a person has to be. However, even the most chaotic moments in life can appear soft, but that’s only when you take the time to see them that way.

The naked eye can’t possible capture every moment but with the help of a camera; the unseen can be brighter than ever. This photo shows just how much a camera can catch. If someone were to try and watch the gun go off, they wouldn’t have been able to take in every color and every spark. It would be gone in the blink of an eye if it weren’t for the help of my friend, Nikon D5100.
Looking at a body of water is clearly beautiful, it’s not unappreciated and most would agree taking it in is relaxing. But looking up close makes the life of the water seem more alive than I ever thought it would be.
My grandma has been in my life for as long as I can remember. On average I see her five out of six days a week. But I had never noticed the beauty of her hands until the second I took the picture. I had been oblivious to each wrinkle and each mark. It was just part of my everyday world, until now.
Don’t go another day without picking up a camera because even if your purpose isn’t to capture the most fantastic and impressive piece of art, it can be to capture the moments that you used to take for granted.
By Sonya Francis