Why do I take pictures?

 

Yesterday I was looking out the window and I saw a breathtaking dragonfly with his wings spread in the sun, perched on a dewy plant.  My first thought was, "I must take a picture of that."  But I stopped and thought before I acted (which is still rare, but becoming more common as I get older).  And this was my thought.  I could go get dressed, get my camera, hope the battery is charged, rush out there and line up a  good shot without scaring him, and hope to get all that done before he moves or the light changes... OR ...I could just stand here and admire him from the window. I could just look at him with my own eyes instead of through the lens of a camera.  I could appreciate the beauty of this moment without attempting to capture it (and a picture never fully captures the moment anyway, does it?). 

Then I thought to myself, I remember taking pictures of dragonflies before, so I probably already have this shot anyway, and what did I ever do with it?  Nothing.  I didn't enlarge it, frame it, print it, or ever even look at it again.  I started questioning, why do I even take pictures?  I'm thankful that I have thousands of pictures of my kids growing up, but why do I take pictures of beautiful things in nature?  Am I trying to capture something I know I can't hold onto?  Am I afraid I won't remember what it looks like?  Trying to recreate the feeling of awe I had when I saw the thing I photographed?  That never works.  Maybe I take pictures to satisfy the urge I have when I see something beautiful to photograph it and share it with others. So the act of taking the picture is in itself enough.  It doesn't matter if I ever print the picture or even look at it again.  I just like taking pictures.

But sometimes, I'm just going to marinate in the moment, appreciate the glory that's right in front of me, and let go of my urge to capture it.