Grandma, Take My Picture!

I love to take pictures. I live with my Nikon around my neck. If I don't have my Nikon hanging on me then I have my Canon draped over my head. I even resort to my phone when I'm completely desperate. If I don't have a camera with me, then Deserey has to listen to me vehemently complain.

Sometimes when she and I are driving to Bear Lake I'll pull off the side of the road and scramble for my camera. Just as I'm trying to get the lens cap off, what ever I was trying to capture dissolves in some way or another and is gone. Those are the moments I shake my head, moan and go off on what a good picture that would have been.

Taking pictures is God's precious gift to us. It's His way of allowing us to stop time right in it's tracks, hold it in our hands, and look back on it anytime we want. I can't imagine life without a photograph! Ansel Adams said, "The only things in life that compatibly exist with this grand universe are the creative works of the human spirit." And photography is opportunity knocking at creativity's door!

Not everyone however, appreciates the opportunity to have their picture taken. I marvel at how some people hate the camera being pointed in their direction. There are some who would rather be thrown into shark infested waters or literally run over by a train than stand in front of a camera and smile. I don't  understand that. I simply can't wrap my head around it. It's irritating! And I want to bop them with my three pound lens.

From a philosophical standpoint, I think people who hate the camera are somewhat uncomfortable with themselves. Photography is truth! And some just aren't comfortable with an honest image. I don't think it's what they see on the outside that bothers them so much, but maybe how it's reflected on the inside. It's not what people see, that throws them a curve ball. It's what they don't see that gets them all in a dither.

Well, I'm not a physiologist, but I can see the struggle inside their soul the minute I point my camera at them. And right at that particular moment I want to ask, "Do you know you are beautiful?" I want to take their picture and blow it up in living color and show them everything they are missing in the interpretation of self! Some people are so blind! Life is a process of learning to like who we are at every age. God made us all beautiful! How sad that we don't see it and appreciate it! And some people just can't see the beauty in themselves no matter how hard you try to show them!

Now, on the opposite end of the spectrum, others relish the click of the shutter. Like my little granddaughter Alikans. Isn't she precious? I love Ali's enthusiasm every time she sees me with my camera! Every time I pick it up she is the first to grin with exuberance. "Take my picture Grandma," she squeals. I am all to happy to oblige! And she never tires of showing me her best self. I love it. She'll look at the camera and light up. She presents her soul in every shot! She likes herself, she likes seeing her self, not in vanity, but in honesty and with a zest for life!

Look at that pose! She thought it up all on her own!

Whether she's roasting a marshmellow,

Or bouncing on the trampoline,

She's always got a grin for grandma!

On the beach,

At the cabin, no matter what she's doing,

She wraps herself completely around life.

And she's not afraid to express it for the camera!

And that's how it's done folks! Look at that smile. B E A U T I F U L! She loves being alive, she likes who she is, and she's not afraid to show it... no... not one bit! A few people could stand to have a lesson or two from this little child! She's a role model subject!

I dare you, the next time someone points a camera in your direction, to loose yourself in the picture! The next time you see the lens cap drop off, I dare you to express yourself. Seriously, don't just grin and bare it, no no, bare your soul and grin! Show some gratitude for who you are and the life you live. Show some excitement over the opportunity to get up and breath! Show some serious exuberance, be brave and let your whole soul jump out, let it shine, just for the moment.

Photography, I want to kick myself for not taking it up thirty years ago!

And a message for Ali... YOU ROCK little girl! You're soul is so beautiful! I'm so happy you know that! Every time you smile, you tell God how happy you are to be you! That is wisdom at it's finest! You're my little Tad Pole, and I love you! And guess what? Nanny is going to take your picture for the rest of your life! Ummmmmm I can't wait! Just you, me and the camera! What a treat!!!