One blog that I follow is by Rob Shepard. I am in love with nature photography, and he has a great way of simply explaining how to use the camera, and what he was thinking when he created the shots he did. Normally it is about photography and that’s it, but today his blog post is about savoring the photographic experience, and how people who are able to savor the moment are found to be happier and less depressed.
He talks about actually being involved with what you are going to photograph. I know exactly what he is talking about. For too long I was a slave to my camera and whether or not I was going to get the ‘right’ photo. I would snap hundreds of photos on my vacation….and then would actually live my vacation when I got home, during the photo edit time. And that can lead to some great photos…but I missed living in the experience. My experience was the narrow confines of the viewfinder.
I spent about 20 minutes trying to get the ‘best shot’ of this moonrise…and then stopped myself and said, look, you got the photo, now LIVE the experience.
In the past I would have just stopped out of the car, snapped away with the camera, and not actually watched the zebras interacting with the cattle. I have been coming to Cambria for over 25 years, and have only once before seen one of the zebras from the Hearst Castle herd. And that was only 1 zebra along the road. Here they were on Route 1, and I just stood and watched them watching us. It was an amazing experience, and I would have ‘missed’ it if I was only taking photos and not taking time to savor.
My friend’s son had me try some of his (I thought) mango sherbet. However, it was laced with banana, one of my least-favorite flavors in the world! So I ducked into this candy shop because they had a sign saying “Free samples” and I needed a new flavor to counter the banana. In the past I would have just focussed on the patterns of the taffy barrels. This time I went around and looked at the flavors, and took my time deciding what I was going to sample. (a spoon of dark chocolate gelato). I can still smell the candy.
Before I learned to slow down and savor experiences, I would have rushed by all of this in the hunt for the next photo. Instead I was able to stand and really enjoy the majesty that is our natural world.
One of my 2013 goals is to watch a Chinese New Year Dragon Dance. So….in the past I would have worried about getting an awesome photo of the dragon. This time I’m just going to experience the show. Will I get photos later? Of course. But will I now have both the photos and the experience? Yes.
What I have learned to do is savor the moment, the experience. In fact, there are times that I will tell my husband “I’m not bringing my camera with me” on whatever jaunt we are going on. Will I possibly miss “The Picture”? Possibly. But will I instead live in the NOW, and fully absorb and appreciate the experience? Yes.
So I challenge you to go out and savor whatever it is about life that you enjoy. Don’t just rush through your experiences. Dally. Dither. Linger. Live.
Now, whether or not you are into photography, this is a good blog post to read.
Susy's Musings 
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