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This Paper Posed as Photographs

So I purchased a DSLR camera about 3 months ago. I’ve been having a blast taking photographs of random things and also intentional things. I went on a 16 day trip to Costa Rica earlier this month and just loved wandering around forests and local towns, shooting whatever caught my eye. But I tried not to shoot absolutely everything that I came across. I wanted to add some sort of finesse and style to things that I thought were worth my attention. And through this, I’ve learned a valuable life lesson.

In the past few months since I got the camera, I can’t count how many times I’ve lined up what in my mind was the picture perfect shot only to have it ruined by some unforeseen circumstance (i.e. people). And it would always happen quickly too. In the short period of time that it would take to lift my camera, remove the lens cap, and position myself in the right spot, someone would walk into and stand in the shot, thus, ruining the composition.

It was a source of anxiety and frustration.

And I know that it’s wrong for me to feel that way. I shouldn’t have to be so anxious. It’s not like they’re going to stand in that spot for the whole day (although the mere minute seems like an hour at a time). Why can’t I wait? Why can’t I just be patient? If it’s really picture perfect, then it will be worth the wait when the time was right.

It’s tricky though. Sometimes what you see through the viewfinder isn’t what it really seems. Many times, it would look right as I’m shooting but when I got home and blew it up on the computer, it wouldn’t match what I had in mind. Sometimes your vision can be narrow when you’re looking down the barrel of the lens. There’s a lot around you that you might be missing or are not aware of.

It’s something that I need to keep telling myself and a lesson that I need to constantly relearn. I have to be patient in waiting for the right picture. But don’t pin it all on one picture. The world is a source of photographs waiting to be taken. Enjoy the whole process, because if there’s no joy, what’s the point of it all?
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