It Doesn't Have To Be Perfect

by Dotti

What kind of photography is the most challenging for you?

For me it’s travel photography and candid photography, you know, such as family gatherings and parties. Our own Deanna is a master at candid photography. She can work a room with her camera, going totally unnoticed and produce the most beautiful photos. Maybe she’ll take the hint and write a post about it.

Last weekend was my granddaughter’s birthday party and as usual, the photographs were not anything you’re likely to see in Bella Grace or even on Flickr Explore. But there is a more important element to these photos than the description ‘picture perfect’. These photos are meant to preserve memories. And besides, I don’t want to try to channel Annie Leibovitz, I want to enjoy the party!

The uptop photo was taken at my granddaughter’s birthday party a year ago. To my mind, I chopped off a bit too much of her head and the lighting was dim. Actually, the lighting was bad. But I loved the look of joy on her face as she hugged her brand new American Girl doll {which just happens to bring her American Girl family to a total of three and she never plays with them!}.  So, to salvage this picture for perpetuity, I used several presets on it until I got an effect I could live with.

Travel photos always challenge me. I think I become a bit overwhelmed by all the new sensory stimulation around me. It’s hard for me to ‘focus’ {pun intended} with so many new things, new sights, new sounds, new smells, new people all around me. Each time I come home from a trip and upload my photos, I’m disappointed. But then I perk up when I realize it’s not about being perfect, it’s about remembering the special times shared with people I love in new and exciting places.

Oddly enough, it’s not unusual for me to revisit trip photos at a later date and find that my original assessment was perhaps a bit too harsh and maybe this or that photo isn’t as bad as I thought. Or maybe it’s because the joy of the memory overrides the perfectionist in me.

This is especially important for me to internalize now since I’ll be leaving in about 10 days for a trip to Europe with my husband, daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. This is a trip we’ve been talking about for two years and planning for one year. This is a trip to fulfill my granddaughter’s long held dream to see the Eiffel Tower. {Long held as in since she was two years old; she’s now eight.}

So, yes, I still harbor the hope that I’ll come home with some photo magic but at the end of the trip, I need to remember that it’s about the memories. Not the artistry. If the artistry happens {and I’ll certainly try!}, that makes the memories that much sweeter.   

   

When I return, we’ll have to talk about expediting the post processing task. Hello, presets! But in the meantime, if you have any great travel photography tips for me, I’d love to hear them! Pop into our comments and leave me a note.

Merci!