Answer: Two...one to screw in the light bulb and one to take the picture.
I thought this would be timely given that Wildside 18 - 2024 is right around the corner but it certainly is applicable to our everyday lives.
In today's digital age, capturing moments with our phones has become second nature if not an obsession. Our first instinct often is to reach for our smartphones or cameras to immortalize the experience in pixels. While photography allows us to preserve memories and share them with others, there's a delicate balance between documenting an event and truly experiencing it in real-time.
The prevalence of social media has amplified the pressure to capture every moment, often at the expense of fully engaging with the present. We find ourselves consumed by the desire to capture the perfect shot, to showcase our lives to the world, and inadvertently, we risk missing out on the richness of the moment itself. There's no denying the allure of photography. It allows us to freeze time, to revisit cherished memories, and to share our experiences with loved ones near and far. However, there's a danger in becoming too fixated on documenting every detail. In our quest to capture the perfect photo, we may fail to fully immerse ourselves in the experience unfolding before us.
Here's a suggestion, instead of viewing every moment through the lens of a camera or thinking about your next pic opportunity, take some time to absorb the sights, sounds, and sensations around you. Allow yourself to be fully present, to create lasting memories not just for your camera roll but for your heart and soul. If you haven't been to a Wildside event, you're about to be presented with an opportunity to make some life long friends. If you've been to one or many of them, you're gonna get a rare opportunity to visit with your friends (including your social media friends) in the flesh and further develop that relationship.
Finding this balance requires mindfulness and intentionality. Before reaching for your camera or smartphone, pause and ask yourself: Am I truly present in this moment, or am I merely an observer behind a lens? By cultivating awareness of our surroundings and our internal state, we can learn to appreciate the beauty of each experience as it unfolds, rather than viewing it as a photo opportunity.
Maddie