Most are familiar with the quote “A picture is worth a thousand words,” yet there are quite many renditions of this phrase, first quoted in 1906 by Henrik Ibsen, a playwright and theatre director. Since then, it has evolved, used by photographers, and salespeople, and there is no doubt that anyone that has had their breath taken away by a picture has uttered these similar words when taking in detail. Truly, a picture, whether it is of a single red rose or a cluttered, city view, has the potential to evoke conversations about our observations not only amongst others but even within our own minds.
A picture captures every single fine line, broken heart, raging river, majestic mountain, and fluff of a cloud. Each has a story to capture and tell, only needing the viewer to grasp their words to spin into tales. The most beautiful part of this process is that each story told, if given the opportunity, could and should be different. Our unique selves guarantee this, as the feelings these pictures evoke will guide their words to create their own versions.
As I have maneuvered through photography classes I have found that there are mistakes to be made in taking pictures. Granted, I have not had much practice in this area. Sure, throughout my life I have taken pictures on a Polaroid, (yes, I am that old), disposable cameras, point and shoot cameras, and of course my cell phone. Children’s events, band shows, choir concerts, and of course, so many selfies, and all these show that I was not particularly talented in the photography arena. Also, so many missed events later, because I forgot to take the picture, or better yet, the camera itself was at home, I about gave up. I have sparingly captured moments on film the last couple of years because I just did not feel it. Marking most of the things going on in my life did not really feel important, because I did not feel important.
I decided to take these photography classes this past spring, needing something to fill my time. While I do like to write, my writing has taken bumps and weird turns, and I wanted something that could potentially inspire me. Since we have moved to a smaller town, right next to the Missouri River, I find the scenery amazing. I see more wildlife here, especially on my commute than I ever have before. I found myself stopping on the side of the road on the way to work every day, trying to get great pictures of the sunrises, trying to capture the shadows of the trees and the reflections that line the Mighty Mo. I soon realized that my cell phone, which takes exceptional pictures, could not give me exactly what I wanted-what I needed.
As I have recovered from my knee surgery I have taken online classes from a local community college. The classes are not too hard, the tests are open booked, the information in between invaluable. I am learning how to freeze motion, change lighting, more acronyms for this already bulging brain, and finding satisfaction in taking a picture, finding the mistakes, and trying to adjust settings exactly right to correct those errors. There is trial and error, but I find they can be happy mistakes.
Over the weekend I took a picture of the river when my wife took me out for a drive. I took several shots, trying hard to capture my favorite part of Atchison. Looking through my pictures the next day I found I had captured good ones, and not so wonderful ones, and played with some of the editing and lighting features of my software. One of my happy mistakes turned out to be one of my favorites after some tweaks.
On this road to self-improvement, life satisfaction, and capturing life in picture form, there are a lot of mistakes, many not wonderful, others with a bit more grace. Perhaps if I can think about life as being a “picture worth a thousand words” and I can choose mine wisely, continue to try, when I fail or harm, make amends, and turn my errs into happy mistakes, then maybe I can capture the truth.
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