How Photography Helps Me Savor Life

How practicing photography helps me savor life more

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller

Savor. It’s term we don’t use too often anymore, right? We should.

Life moves pretty quickly these days, doesn’t it? Do you feel it? The hustle. The bustle. The hectic hurry.

When was the last time that you sat down and really enjoyed a good meal? Slowly and intentionally tasting and really savoring the food.

Try it sometime. The next time you eat a really nice meal, or even an average one. Intentionally slow down. Don’t just bite and swallow with the goal of filling your belly. I know, sometimes that is the goal (to quickly feed yourself in a rushed lunch hour). But the next time that you find that you can, just slow down. Slowly chew your food and allow yourself to notice and really experience the flavors and textures of your meal. Close your eyes if that helps.

The flavors and textures are there whether you notice them or not. They’ve always been there, but YOUR experience and awareness of them is what’s different. That cheeseburger or salad doesn’t care if you mindlessly gobble it up nor does most anyone else around you. But you, YOU can either notice and appreciate it or not. YOU can gain from the experience, just by taking the time to savor it. Either way, by the end of the meal, you’ll have the same amount of food in your belly, sure it might have taken a bit longer, but was it worth it? You’ll have to decide.

The exact same thing is true with photography and how it helps me savor moments which add up to a day, a week, a month.

There have been countless times that I’ve been aware of the light, or the juxtaposition of form, or lines and shapes where people around me have not. I might point out the color and pattern of the sun on the clouds and they’ll say “Oh yeah! Hey that’s pretty cool!” I realize that they wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t pointed it out. There attention was elsewhere, maybe in a mobile device or other distraction. It’s as if I pulled them out from a mental haze and opened their eyes if only for a moment.

This is one of the BEST things that practicing photography has helped me with, seeing and savoring the world around me that was already there all along. I just needed to slow down and notice it. Savor it.

Here’s a bonus. By capturing some of those moments and sharing them, others get to see what you saw and savor it too. Groovy! For even the briefest moment, they slow down enough to glance at the image and maybe even appreciate what you’re pointing out to them. If you do a good job at crafting the image, you might even be able to enchant them and capture their attention for a bit longer as they linger.

Let me circle around and come back to my point though. EVEN if THEY don’t, if your viewers don’t “get it”. Or even if you don’t share your images (but I suggest that you really DO share them), but even if you don’t. If by the mere practice of slowing down and practicing your awareness of composition, line, shape, color, lighting, etc. YOU can either notice and appreciate those moments or not. YOU can gain from the experience, just by taking the time to savor it.