have digital cameras made us miss life?

There is something so magical about the people out there who pick up their camera for the sole reason of documenting life. It’s not about nailing the exposure, having the composition just right, or worrying if the focus is spot on. It’s not about reluctantly documenting life knowing all the while that uploading and editing will have to come later and who has the time anyway? It’s not about making photos that are “art gallery worthy” or having a blog that exists solely to make people wish they were as awesome as you.

No, it’s quite the opposite.

It’s about looking around and noticing the people, and animals, inanimate objects and nature surrounding. It’s about taking it in and then having the presence of mind to document it for the sole reason of a memory refresher for years down the road. Not because there are children’s lives that must be documented. No, it’s their lives … their everyday moments … their work and fun, hobbies and jokes, travels and adventures and everything in between. It’s about capturing it in any medium possible so that ultimately memories are frozen in time.

Isn’t that the purpose of cameras? They exist to document the life that surrounds us … not in it’s perfection, just in it’s rightful existence. Perfectly perfect just as it is, even if no fancy editing is done afterward. Just life. Frozen. For eternity.

It’s people that understand the importance of this that inspire me beyond words. I can think of no one else who does this quite like my friend, Sarah. With her relatively new blog her every post challenges, encourages and inspires me to document life just as it is around me. Not to edit and impress others, just to save for later. And, so I have … not nearly as much as I should, but I’m getting more in the habit of noticing the little things around.

I am grateful for not only the friend Sarah is to me (oh, that is a lengthy post for another day), but for the way she so effortlessly sees the world around her and thinks of nothing else, but to freeze it in time.

Her and her husband have been traveling through Alaska serving the people of the Aleutian Islands, meeting any and all dentistry and medical needs they can. Her latest post has me grateful for being able to see their time in Alaska through their eyes. I share it because I knew it wasn’t just for their family or me. It’s much too wonderful not to be seen by many. (I sure hope you don’t mind Sarah … ; )

Take a visit. Feast your eyes. Take a much needed deep breath in.  Then grab your cameras and document the life around you.  It deserves your attention.

p.s. If I know Sarah well enough she is bound to be mortified that I shared this with so many so make sure to leave her a comment thanking her for her unknowingly willingness. : )

p.p.s. she has not just made this video because of their time in Alaska. I lived with her in college and she was the exact same way then. Unfortunately the views of our life in college weren’t nearly as stunning as the views in Alaska.