ready for your close-up?

I can make it so that people live forever. Timeless and beautiful, loved ones will never die. Their glistening eyes and laughter are encapsulated; they are as lively today as they were two years, or two decades ago. I can suspend time and make a single moment last a lifetime and then some. Moments are captured and frozen to keep and look back on fondly. Feelings that may get lost in translation are more easily read through the lens. I own a portable time machine that can transport me back to places I have visited before. Memories are reminders that the past is real, and I can provide tangible evidence for so many things. Elaborate and heartfelt stories are told, without using a single word. They are stories from all walks of life, stories that inspire gasps, laughter, and tears. Countless works of art have, and will continue to be created with the simple click of a button. I own sunsets from around the world, and can see them anytime I want. Their various warm hues fill the skies of many lands; some with the colors of a brilliant sunset reflecting off of the ripples in the beach water, some of them peeking through the windows of city apartment buildings. I can thank my wonderful, cherished object for this magic. There are so many different documentations made available by this instrument of genius. My cherished object is a Canon Power Shot, and it is my favorite thing because of the power it gives me. With this camera, there are no boundaries to my creative artistic expressions given by my love for capturing life. Stolen moments are my specialty.
"If a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it's as though I've neglected something essential to my existience, as though I've forgotten to wake up." -Richard Avedon. Taking photographs changes the way I see everything. Photography is the talent to capture beauty in the things that go unnoticed. The images I can capture contain everything and nothing, all at once. Previously simple words, that one wouldn't normally bat an eye at, now conjure up new ideas in my head: angle, background, close-ups, color, composition, light, focus, subject, and perspective. Everything I see now seems to be through an invisible frame, as I line up each new subject for their immortal shot. With each adjustment of the aperature, and close of the shutter, a new feeling of greatness washes over me. What I choose to capture with my camera is beautiful, it is art, it is life. The sleek, shiny, black and silver machine in my hands remembers little things, such as dragonflies caught in flight, secret smiles between two people, love and laughter among friends and family at a park, long after I have forgotten them. Looking at a photograph from a recent birthday party, it is easy to notice the magic of my camera. So many happy faces are frozen in song, I can almost hear their voices singing in unison. Surrounded by vivid colors of giftwrap and presents, the crowd gathers at the table. I can almost feel the heat from the technicolor candles on the cake. And a fine cake it is, with it's icing cascading over the edges. I can nearly smell the raspberry vanilla goodness. Reliving times like these are simple when you have such great tools to document them with. There are so many wonderful feats this little gadget can accomplish, and I can hardly feel nostalgic for the old Kodak's with Flashbulbs. There is an aquarium setting, it erases the glass, so that you feel as though you're as wet and as deep in the coral as the fish you watch darting around. Not a single face could ever be lost in the crowd, with my trusty 'face recognition' squares, framing each and every beautiful one. And, red-eye demons, beware! The red-eye reducer is on the prowl, and ready for action.
A photograph shows us a split second of the present moment, but the present is always slipping into the past. This is why I feel so attached to my camera, it gives me the freedom to keep the intangible in some shape or form. In my hands, I have an instant record of history. I have documented numerous places I have been to, including: Europe, Asia, as well as many of the United States and Canada. I can share with others some of the many things that I have seen. Some of my favorite frozen shots of real life include: the view from below the carriage of an in-flight, hot air balloon I was working crew on in New Mexico, through this photo I can still feel the sun on my face and remember the breathtaking sight of various hot air balloons dotting the desert horizon; a photograph of a gondolier serenading guests through the canals of Venice make me nostalgic for my favorite city; the silhouette of a seagull against the watercolor-like sunset at Huntington are safe and warm in a photo album during the winter months; and a photo of my son and me at his preschool graduation relay the love and pride that words can barely touch on. Children grow up so fast, because of this, my favorite series of photographs to take is the chronicles of my son's life. I can relive his first breath of air, each of his first wobbly steps, every school function he's had, his first rollercoaster ride, catching lightining bugs in the backyard, and numerous other fun-filled occasions. He's constantly growing, and I am very thankful to have such a great invention to help me record the things that mean the most to me. Shoeboxes and tupperware containers overflow with photographs and memories from throughout the years. Every photograph I have is of places in which I have found solace and wonder, and of people that I have loved, and who have loved me in return. All of these images are proof that I have lived.
For the science buffs, cameras are just instruments that record radiation on a sensitive medium. The casual photograph snapper reserves the use of cameras only for holidays, parties, and important celebrations. In my opinion, they are missing out on what really matters, which are the little things in everyday life. A baby's first taste of lemon wedges, children swinging at the play ground, a walk through the woods, a loving embrace from a grandparent, a game of fetch with the dog, these are all things that are taken for granted, and gone too soon. That is why I love having the power to keep forever, the times that I will never get back. Everyday is a special occasion, full of moments waiting to be captured, and I will always have my camera ready.

*that was my essay in english last week, she gave me an 84. she hates me.... but it's okay because I Love Me!! and i know i'm not the only one :) xoxoxoxoxox*