The Power of a Moment

Even after 6 years, this is still one of a handful of my absolute favourite photos that I ever took.

As a photographer, you learn very quickly just how important moments are.

Every picture you take tells a story. Every moment frozen in time is something to be treasured and held on to tightly because that moment will never 'be' again, but regardless of that fact, you can still relive it over and over through pictures.

Like capturing lightening in a bottle, a photograph will speak a thousand words without ever uttering a sound.

Today I found myself thinking about this after coming across a couple of facebook memories.

We all know what its like. Something you haven't thought about in a long time pops up on social media and all of a sudden you are whisked down memory lane with no idea of where you are going to end up.

For me, it started with a picture of my now 17 year old son in his first school play at age 6 where he played Dr Who.

For those of you who know me, you know how much we loved Dr Who in my house so when he got to be the Dr, he was very excited.

What I remember more than anything about this particular moment, (other than the super proud, slightly emotional mum thing), was the fact that I had to fight the school to be allowed to take this picture.

The rules have changed since I was at school and whilst I fully support the fact that not everyone wants their kids photographed, my 6 yr old wanted his photo taken next to the Tardis that he had acted in front of as Dr Who.

At first, it was a resounding NO even though I'm mum.

Then, after a few minutes of battling with the teachers, (and probably getting a little difficult), they agreed to speak to the headteacher and this photo was the result.

I look at that photo and not only does it make me smile, but it takes me on a journey.

My little boy, who is now a man, has been frozen in time. He looks slightly shy and a little unsure of himself, but that smile melts my heart and with it a whole host of memories are released.

I remember how it felt when those little arms would wrap themselves around my neck and that face would snuggle into my hair.

I remember hearing him tell me he loved me and that he would always be with me, and that he didn't ever want to live with anyone else.

I remember him dancing with me to the latest pop songs and cuddling up on a Saturday night to the latest episode of Dr Who and whatever monster was terrifying the universe that week.

From a photography point of view, it isn't technically brilliant.

You could pick it to pieces if you wanted to, but actually, I don't care, because what I get from it is worth so much more to me.

It doesn't just give me that moment, but also all those moments that envelop the time around that single memory, and that makes it utterly priceless.

So, in my musings, whilst trying to decide whether the word fly came first or it came to be because a fly was known as a fly, and they fly, (obvs), and therefore anything that moved through the air must fly, (I know, way too much time on my hands!), I got to thinking.

In my time working professionally as a photographer, I have had the pleasure of capturing some of the most beautiful, raw, emotional and exciting moments that I could ever ask for and its so incredible to be able to be part of those moments, but I find myself wondering, with all the changes in the world, and the speed in which those changes have happened, how do we continue to navigate in a way that is a true representation of who we are?

I am the first person to admit, I am a little obsessive when it comes to photos. The walls of my house are covered in pictures, some of moments that I experienced when I have been exploring places, but the majority are a collection of family and friends and I can tell you a story about every single moment that every one of those photos represents.

My life and the lives of the people I love are frozen in those moments, allowing me to experience them over and over every time I look at them and that is a truly beautiful thing.

You see, the more I ponder this massively underappreciated phenomenon, the more I realise how precious it is.

In this digital age of filters and editing, its so easy to get caught up in the pursuit of perfection when in reality, the very essence of what makes us who we are lies within our imperfections.

The reality is my friends - that's the secret of truly memorable moments.

A candid laugh, an unexpected moment, a look of tenderness and love - all those nuances add character and depth to a photograph that cannot be faked or duplicated intentionally, making it a true reflection of those split seconds that the shutter was pressed and the moment was caught in time.

I watch the way technology is driving us forward, and whilst the possibilities are endless, when you break it down, in amongst the exponential growth we are trading our souls and everything that makes us what and who we are for something that will always leave us wanting.

We have gone from pictures that capture memories that can't ever be replaced to taking selfies with duck pouts, filters, rabbit ears... the list goes on and on!

Don't get me wrong, I am not averse to daft snapchat filter pictures. Myself and the kids quite often send daft pictures in the name of fun but the reality is, a lot of the honesty has gone.

The picture we put out to the world with a filter is a poor representation of who we really are.

A filter that wipes away laughter lines and wrinkles is a filter that removes everything that has made you who you are right at this moment. That porcelain look, smooth skin, overly bright eyes and teeth that would glow in the dark isn't the real you.

It isn't the tears you have cried or the jokes you have laughed at.

It isn't the battles you have fought and won or fought and lost.

It isn't the lessons you learnt or the moments you keep safe in your heart.

It isn't those secret smiles you save for the people you love or the gentle kisses that have made their way across your lips.

It hides all those beautiful moments that have left signs on your physical body that they were, and in doing so it takes away a little piece of what makes you utterly and exquisitely unique, hiding you behind a mask which will only become more difficult to remove the more you refuse to embrace who you are.

The question is, what do you want? Real or fake, and what would you expect from the people around you?

I know immediately which I prefer, and what I would like to see from the people I let in to my inner circle.

Its a tough one. We all want to look good on pictures, but the thing to remember is this.

When you throw off this mortal coil and your physical body becomes food for crawling little critters, nobody is going to care whether your skin was flawless or your lips were plump in every picture you took. When they flick through the photos of the time you spent together, they are going to be reliving moments that created treasured memories that were never about anything other than love, respect and precious time.

Life is too short for filters.

Embrace the beauty that is every little lump and bump on your body. Embrace the lines and the dimples and the moles and learn to love yourself completely because musers, when those filters are removed and you have to look deep into yourself, its those moments that truly contributed to who you are and real is so much sexier than fake!

What more can I say than this?

Each photograph is more than just a picture. It's a fragment of time, a piece of our history.

From unforgettable and important moments to everyday ones, photography allows us to create a portal to our past and revisit whenever we desire.

Its an art form that transcends time, and all the AI in the world will never be able to create the honesty that the human eye can capture when the moment is right.

The power it holds is mind-blowing.

The power to freeze time.

The power to evoke forgotten emotions.

The power to etch memories in pixels forever.

Until next time.......