Life Through the Lense of My Camera

Photography is one of my most passionate loves in life. I take pictures sometimes of the silliest things...my feet propped up on a movie theatre chair in negative colors, my fat dog after she has just eaten a huge bowl of food, a gift someone gave me that was amazing...but to me all of these things have meaning. For me, photography is a form of expression and seeing things in a much more concentrated area. You can pick out one item from an array of things in a particular setting and focus on it. Giving it it's own meaning and a little bit of time to shine by itself, apart from everything around it. Like a single butterfly in a swarm of flowers, you can zoom in on only him and one flower, and it's like at that moment, those are the only two things that exist in this world. I get creative sometimes too, playing with angles and lighting and color effects, so some of them turn out wonderfully. I like looking back on them, because I can remember things when I look at a photo. I can remember what inspired me to take it, how I was feeling that day, where I was in my life and who was in it at the time, and sometimes even remember things and moments I may have forgotten without a quick snapshot to remind me. Important events take a big effect too; like birthdays, parties, enjoying a day at the park with my children. It's like watching them grow all over again and noticing the changes in them from month to month. Seeing your loved ones every day, sometimes you don't notice these types of things, and that is what photography does for me, helps me appreciate every day I have had with them. I was recently put in a situation where I took photos of some people in my boyfriend's family that did not want their pictures taken. I couldn't quite understand what the big deal was and got a little offended that they wanted me to delete them. The thing is, this person wasn't the only one in the photo, there were 3 other people who didn't mind at all. So in trying to capture a funny moment, I was forced to make a decision whether I honor this, and get rid of the picture, or keep it for myself and keep it private so that we could enjoy it when we wanted. I chose the latter. Is that wrong? What does it matter really, as long as the photo is kept private? I refuse not to be able to enjoy a picture that 75% of the subjects don't mind, just because of one person. On top of that, it's the back of this person, not even his face. Oh well, I guess not everyone likes having a picture of their backside taken.