PUT YOUR CAMERA DOWN!
We have all heard the expression “Pics or it didn’t happen”. In all honesty I feel like we decided to make that our way of life. From going on vacation to simply eating lunch we are now taking pictures of every last thing we do. Our cameras are at a moment’s reach, like old gunslingers of the west ready to snap off a photo that may get us likes on social media. Sometimes I think it's worse as a business owner. Social media now expects you to “stay relevant” if you want any chance to succeed. Regardless of your business it seems you have to do it in a picture perfect fashion just to have a way to reach people and let them know “hey I exist”.
I Want to take a Moment to tell you, it's time to take a break from that lifestyle. Whether it’s a week, or a day, or a single outing. Put down your camera. Here are 5 reasons why it's worth it.
Exploring the Mountains of NY
1. LIVE IN THE MOMENT
Now I may seem like a hypocrite because I take a lot of photos. I love photos. I love being able to look at memories. From the day I left home to become a United States Marine in ‘06 to today, I have lived an adventure. I explored the world, tried new things etc. So I have accumulated a lot of photos. In fact it was my adventuring that made me pick up a camera. One thing I learned though is not one photo I have taken in my life is nearly as amazing as the adventure that I was on. Pictures can help spark memories of the adventure and remind me of things I may have forgotten but they will never be able to replicate taking a step onto the summit of a mountain you didn't think you would ever make. They will not be able to retell the stories you spent talking about at 3 am to the person you just met who becomes the new muse in your life. Pictures are great but the passing moments are so much more if you spend a little time living in them and not waiting for them to become memories.
Using a Giant Inflatable Duck as a boat to explore an island
2. PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN
This has to be my least favorite thing to hear. One night a few years back I was sitting in my apartment building, when BAM, the entire building shook. I ran outside to a car that no more than five feet from me, had veered off the road and into the wall of our neighbor. First instinct was “Call an ambulance” yada yada yada. Dust settled, cops arrived on the scene, I went inside so as to not be in the way and that was it. I ended up posting to facebook about the accident and someone immediately commented “bull shit pics, or it didn't happen” as if I owed them some sort of proof. Fact is you don’t owe people evidence of your life. You know your accomplishments, your adventures. You know because you were there. If someone doesn't want to believe you, that's on them. Don’t spend your life documenting things to prove to others the story that is you to the point you forget to enjoy the journey.
Exploring underneath an abandoned town
3. YOU LEARN MORE
I love tours. Museums, Caves, whatever. I love them. I used to be the guy on them that needed a photo with every artifact, every interesting rock formation, or cactus that was penis shaped (just kidding). But you get it. Then over the last few years I started taking less photos, and actually reading every plaque. When my wife goes to find a geocache, I read the history of the trails at the trailhead. I listen to the tour guides and look around at how they all connect. I’ve got to say, there are so many interesting things out there that you can miss taking a photo instead of learning why it even exists. I learn about generals I never learned about in school. I saw how treacherous the trail of tears actually was. I've stood on land that was once soaked in blood during war and then forgotten about outside of footnotes in text books. You can of course take photos of all these things. But no photograph on your phone or your travel camera can truly teach you what really happened at the places other than standing there and truly taking it in.
Moments with my best friends
4. MEMORIES MAKE BETTER STORIES
I can show people scrap books and photographs of my life and let others show me theirs but you know what truly makes for a fun time? Hearing people's stories. The energy and emotions. Have you ever visited a friend's house and started talking about something they were passionate about that happened to them? They stand up and put on a play, and go off on these tangents. It's raw and real. Even if some details change for dramatic effect, the entire experience they are sharing with you just feels like you could get lost into their world. I've met some story tellers that paint such beautiful pictures I feel like I was there with them. To further my point if you took a photo of them talking. You would miss part of the story and the photo would just be of them talking. In my experience these stories… The ones where the entire bar turns around to listen. The ones that end up making you new friends when you share them, they exist in times where you were so captivated by making the memories that you forgot to ever snap a photograph.
My Bunk in Iraq 2007
5. JUST FOR YOU MOMENTS
Some things aren't meant to be documented. They are intimate moments of time meant just for you. I don't have a photo of my first kiss. I don't have a photo of the day I met my wife. Some photos have been lost over the years. I have only a handful of images from my time in Iraq. I could go on for hours. Truthfully I'm ok with it. The memories and feelings of some moments are perfect just the way they are. They exist the way I want them to. There is no need for them to exist anywhere but within me. Places to visit when I am all alone staring out the window at peace with how my life became what it is.
Now I am not saying taking photos is a bad thing to do. Absolutely take photos and share them with friends and family. Use them to brag about something you are really proud about and absolutely do those things. Just remember not to get lost in finding the perfect picture all the time and remember it's ok to live life in the moment.
