Snap decision was the best
AIN’T LIFE GRAND SHARON LUCK
ALL I wanted for my birthday was a photo of my four grandkids together.
Sounds easy-peasy doesn’t it? But getting four children under three to sit together and look in the same direction for more than a split second is harder than you imagine.
However, I got my wish in the most unexpected and delightful way: my three-year-old grandson was playing with his cousins when he turned to me and asked me to take a photo.
He’s normally very camerashy so this was quite unexpected. We scrambled to grab phones and take some pics before one or more lost interest.
The result was a shot of the four grandies with my husband and me.
It’s far from a perfect photo but it is already one of my favourite photos of all time.
There was no time to fix my hair, wipe Vegemite off one face or straighten up the baby so she doesn’t look squished – but in my eyes it is absolutely perfect.
It captured the moment – and isn’t that what you remember about the best photos?
Too many of us avoid being in front of the camera because we don’t like the way we look, our hair and makeup isn’t right or we want to lose a few kilos first. Sometimes I just forget to take pics at family gatherings.
Yet I take so many pictures of things that don’t matter – what we had for lunch at that cafe or yet another sunset.
This year I am making it a priority to take photos whenever our family is together.
The beauty of digital cameras and phone cameras is that you can take plenty of pictures, edit the OK ones and delete the really terrible ones.
Digital photography is such a blessing. Younger readers would be amazed at how we were so careful to only take good pics because we didn’t want to waste a single frame.
And the agony of getting pics from the chemist or photo lab only to realise they were terrible. Sometimes you were lucky if there was one good photo in the packet.
No excuses now though, so let’s all embrace digital technology and make every pic a keeper.
You don’t have to love every pic you keep but remember that one day the candid photographs with the kids, grandkids, pets and so on will be what give our loved ones such comfort.