The Nester is hosting a party over at her place, posting photos of things that aren’t perfect but still beautiful. And she’s asked us to do the same. I was going to post a photo of my laundry room all lived in and dirtied up, but then I thought: Who wants to see photos of other peoples dirty laundry? Don’t answer that.
I’m discovering that I feel the same about taking photos as I do about writing. I’ve always said that one reason why I write is because it’s hard for me to know what I think unless I write it down. Kind of a pain during an argument, but whatever. Taking photos is a lot like that for me.
When I have a camera in my hand, it forces me to be observant, to notice everything and not just the main event. Each snapshot has a little story to tell. Simply, beautifully, the photo speaks long after the event is over. And when I look through my photos, I am able to form a more complete picture of the event as a whole by piecing together all the little things.
One of my favorite things to do is to bring my camera to weddings and capture all the things that the bride and groom don’t have time to notice. They’ve hired a real photographer to get all the “perfect” shots of family and wedding party and main event type stuff. But I would rather get the fun stuff, the real life stuff, the stuff that is imperfectly beautiful.
A bride is always beautiful, even when all she’s doing is leaning into her getaway car, popping balloons with a safety pin.
The parents of the bride are always beautiful, too. Here they are just after the couple drove away…windblown hair, not a suit jacket in sight. Can you imagine what is on their minds at this very moment?
I’m thankful to the Nester for giving us the chance to remember all the things that are beautiful though far from perfect. In a way, that kind of makes them perfect after all.
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