Shutterbug

"What’s the point of taking pictures without your face in it? It’s normal to take selfies!" A friend said.

I had to laugh at that comment. I do take selfies (lots!). My favorite subjects just happen to be random, unsuspecting people, landscapes and street scenes, clouds, benches, sunsets, and old buildings. I love taking pictures! I don’t remember not having a camera at my disposal. My sister and I used to fight over the family’s old Kodak. No outing, celebration, or important milestone was left uncaptured. This is probably why I have associated the peculiar sound that the camera shutter makes with happiness, laughter, and love. 

I take pictures for different reasons: freeze moments I want to remember, capture beauty and the nuances of creation, or to temporarily escape from the stresses of life. But mostly, I do it to tell stories.

Since I was a kid, I have been chasing after stories and retelling them any way I know how. Photography has allowed me to tell tales that words strung up together never could. When you catch me staring at a tree or a patchwork of clouds, it’s because I wait for it to reveal its role in the plot. And because some stories, like secrets, are too personal or are not yet ready to be shared, I keep a lot of these photos to myself.

The technical aspects of photography escape me, however. Not that I dont care; I simply have not had a chance to take my interest up to that level. Truth be told, my grasp of photography lingo is elementary at best and I would love to update my knowledge and eventually be better skilled at capturing light and all the intricate details involved in taking a flawless photo. But then again, I look at photos through a different lens anyway. 

Have you ever stared at a photo of a sunset or a lighthouse on a cliff and be so affected but couldn’t tell why? Or of a bench and feel a deep longing? Or the sea and gasp? I have seen many beautiful photos with great compositions and are technically on point. But only a handful have moved me. That is the elusive nature of that one photo that I’m chasing after and longing to capture. That one photo that would tell a story so beautiful it would make your heart ache.

Sigh. What I would give to be taking pictures of the Seine, Ein Gedi, or Machu Pichu at this very moment! But first, I need a new camera. 

Take me to the ocean.