Aim and Snap
Not just once, twice, not even thrice, but for as long as you can. Snap until your mind grows tired, your eyes weary, your finger numb and your feet heavy. It’s simple! What you see is what you snap.
Search for stillness. Connect with calm. Concentrate on perspective. Capture movement. Become motivated by mood. Allow for reflection. Ponder creativity. Rejoice in color. Feel texture with your soul. Find your expression, and as you have done so many times before, aim and snap.
It doesn’t matter what you use... a disposable camera, maybe one that is digital. Try using the one on your cell phone, as so many like to do. Post the good, bad and ugly, your labor of love, all on your favorite sites: Facebook, Twitter, or your blog.
Galvanize your efforts by learning new techniques. Subject yourself to critics. As time passes you will detect your style, always accepting the outcomes with new determination and broader vision. All will propel you to aim and snap.
With each new photograph you will find a discerning eye, demanding excellence, and only settling for something minimal when it helps tell the story. All of our images can’t be great or, dare I say, picture perfect? However, they will undoubtedly lead to purpose, renewed courage and greater self-confidence.
Be critical, but not too self-deprecating. Embrace interpretation with an open mind, never taking it all too seriously. If and when you lack faith, placate your fears with another new chapter, doing what must now be second nature, your ability to aim and snap.
What you now have before you are images conveying your history, while unraveling the mystery that is you. What will they say? There’s no doubt they will span the spectrum, expressing moments of happiness and sadness, beauty and ugliness, and all things in between.
Rejoice in the accolades, because there could be many, and when comments are less than desirable – never retreat, but move forward with yet another new phase doing what now has become your hobby – your art.
I never thought I would be one of those people looking at the world through a lens, but here I am, sharing what I believe to be another positive vehicle for self-expression, and all because someone encouraged me to aim and snap. Thank you, friend, for always helping me find my voice. – paerki
