Picture Display Movement. Step 1. Take pictures!!

I was talking to a friend the other day and she said she had misplaced her SD card with an entire years worth of photos on it.  I skipped right over the part about her saying she lost the card and couldn't wrap my head around the fact she had an entire years worth of photos on one card.  I can fill up a 4GB card in about 20 minutes taking pictures of my kids.

And after seeing how often my sister and a few other relatives who will remain nameless take pictures, and by often I mean never, I realized maybe this is an issue for a lot of people.

So I decided Step 1 for most people would have to be TAKE MORE PICTURES!!! This applies to me as well.  And probably a lot of other professional photographers I know.  Because we're so busy taking other people's pictures, we sometimes forget (or choose not to) pick up the camera and take pictures of our own people.

The actual process of taking a picture costs me nothing.  Monetarily speaking.  So why not take more?

Even if they aren't always (or ever) "great quality" photos.  The few pictures I have of my childhood won't ever make it into a magazine, but I'm so grateful I have them :)

And the benefits of photographs in our lives is so great, I should be taking as many as I can!

When I pick up my camera and take a picture of something, intentionally or unintentionally I send a message.  A message that whatever I am taking a picture of is important to me.  Because taking a picture of something signifies I want to remember it, whatever "it" is.  A person, a moment, a feeling.

So without saying anything, when I stop what I'm doing and take a picture of something, I show that moment/person/thing/feeling/event was worth stopping for, was worth my time, and was worth documenting.

Photographs tell the story of who I love.  What relationships I cherish.  Moments that make me laugh.  And moments that make me want to cry.  What daily life events I find value in.

If I don't have those photographs, what story do I have to tell?  And what message do I unintentionally send when I choose not to photograph anything (or many things?)

I'm not saying I need to spend my life and every waking moment taking pictures.  But I definitely think I should be intentional about the photographs I DO take and to make it a priority to document our stories.

So.  Step 1.  Take a lot of pictures.  :)


Click here for Step 2.