Pictures…. are we to busy taking the picture?
This is a thought that I hit me the other day. I got frustrated with. We were driving in our van to go visit a site and I saw these boats. Now these are not like boats back home. They are beat up and hand made out of wood. They look like they have been used for many years. The first time we passed by I thought that it would be a great picture, seeing all the colors, the vintage look, the people. 
Typically just seeing something that would look good for a picture. Most artist have a different perspective on how things look. The second time I drove by my previous thought upset me, my perspective changed.
The second time we drove by I actually saw the people. I saw the boats for what they were. I saw the LIVING CONDITIONS. This is real, this is not just a picture to put up on the wall. This is life. This is not something to have as a souvenir to say, this is pretty.
Are we really seeing what is in the picture anymore? Or are we just seeing the colors? Are we seeing the people in the pictures or just the smiles and the eyes? Are we seeing their lives? Are we truly experiencing how they live? Or are we just taking pictures and just making videos?
Look at these faces, they are beautiful. The kids are lovely. They swarm the camera when you pull it out. They smile for the photos, then they want to see themselves right away.
Their clothes are typically torn up. Do we see that as it is or as something to add more detail to the photo? These kids are great. They are loving and a joy to be around. Are we getting used to what we are seeing? But when being faced with the same things everyday you tend to become immune to it, unaffected by it. Am I getting used to seeing these things, these situations around me?
So are we really seeing them or just taking the picture and seeing them. Do you understand me? Are we experiencing them as beings or just experiencing them through the camera or video? Because of this I have only pulled out my camera a few times. I have only taken a few videos. There is a difference between watching something through a camera and watching it live. You experience something different. Are we really seeing all the picture is holding, or do we just get caught in 
the things that we want to see? Because a person can go anywhere and take pictures of the beautiful things, the great sites, the beautiful faces, but not EXPERENCE anything. You can take a picture of a flower but there is a completely different experience when you touch it. When you notice how soft they are, how gentle the petals are. When you see the real color. In a picture you can ONLY IMAGINE what it would be like. In the same way you can take pictures of people but not know them. You can take pictures of the holes in the clothes but have you felt them. You can take pictures of the kids but have you held them. You can video the kids talking. But have you talked to them? You can see their eyes. But have you really looked back into theirs? Have you laughed with them, cried with them, held them. There is something different when you let yourself encounter them. You can catch things on camera and video but not grasp all the reality. You could miss the whole experience.
Even though this is a time that I don’t totally enjoy doing the things that I love, taking 
pictures and making videos, there was a reason God made them unenjoyable to me. He was showing me boundaries. That I shouldn’t get caught behind the camera and miss the relationships, the people, the experience. So even though it is hard, I am thankful that he opened my eyes and helped me not to get lost. Not get used to the circumstances and the situations we are experiencing.
So in the end my view on pictures is being defined more. What does a picture really hold? I don’t think the answer would be the same for all pictures. They all hold something completely different. But that is only if you are willing to look inside the picture and not just at it. Every picture has a story to tell.
