Savor the moment

Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second. – Marc Ribound

Here is the incoming tide washing over my boots.

A fallen maple leaf getting washed away by the rushing stream.

Those are the moments I witness out in nature, and I try to capture them with my camera.

With my camera in toll, instead of wandering about without any purposes, I am forced to focus in noticing the good things in life so I can find worthwhile subjects to photograph. When I decide to make an image, I must stop, observe, frame, and receive what the present moment has to offer. I have been given a choice as to how to relate to the present moment.

By photographing mindfully without giving myself pressure of making great art, I get to know myself. I know what subject matters I am drawn to. I know what colors I favor. I know what kind of lighting I prefer to work with. All those elements reveal who I am as a person. Each photo I produce reveals the way I see things and my relationship with them.

As my experience with photography deepens, I notice I am opening myself up to new perceptions and to the understanding of my own vision. I am aware a minor shift in perception – how I see my surroundings, my thoughts, my emotions – can have profound impact on the photographs I make.

When I am immersed in the moment while making each photo, I make a stop to the constant stream of thoughts rushing through in my head. I give myself the opportunity to see the world with fresh eyes, reinstating a sense of wonder by focusing my attention to the present moment. Instead of letting those moments flow by, I take stock of the effects they have on me.

I have been reading books on explaining how we humans form memory, and the many methods we can use to improve our memory. One of the methods is to form mental pictures of the things we wish to remember. The more we wish to remember something, the more outrageous we should create those mental pictures. During the process, you relate to those things you wish to remember in a more vivid way and hence your memory is more ingrained.

I have known for a long time I am a visual learner. When I form concrete images of things I encounter, my memories tend to last for a long time. I think that is the reason why I am passionate about photography. I don’t take any of the subjects I photograph for granted, I form a bond with them despite the short time I get to spend time with them. That relationship can evolve with the changing light and environmental conditions especially when I am out photographing in nature. No one moment is the same. Even the commonplace can be observed and photographed as though it is the very first time. That makes each experience unique and memorable.

Capturing that instant in a photograph can help us reinforce that relationship with the environment and the changing state of the subject positioned in front of our lens. I learn to accept what arises and savor each moment.