Capture the Moment

The past 1.5 years have been very challenging for many people, especially our seniors who do not live at home with their loved ones.  Moreover, it was tough for those who had lost their loved ones during the pandemic.  Nothing could have prepared them for that.  I am grateful that my parents are doing well and I still have the opportunity to document their stories and legacy for them.

I remember how my grandmother would tell me constantly that her only dream was to have an image of all her children and grandchildren together.  My deepest regret is that we never had the opportunity to have everyone in the same place at the same time.  However, I am grateful for the candid pictures we had captured throughout the years.  The tiny point-and-shoot camera my dad got me had become the tool for capturing those memories for my family. 

Last year, I wanted to take some pictures of my parents and my kids.  I especially loved the multi-generation images of grandparents or great-grandparents with their children.  They are rarer to find these days besides a couple of cell phone pictures.  There’s something really special and serendipitous about people in different stages of their lives sharing moments and existing in the same time and space.  The grandparents or great grandparents, who had lived and learned from life’s many struggles, are in the same picture with their grandchildren, whose future is paved by them in some sort of way.   

Here’s what I strongly urge you to do:

1. Take as many group pictures as you can during family gatherings.  You will appreciate them whether it was professionally taken or just a simple candid with your cell phone. 

2. Please include yourself in it. Invest in an inexpensive tripod or selfie stick that has a Bluetooth clicker/remote trigger.

3. Print those images out and frame them.  Place them in your living space to celebrate family and loved ones daily.  Give them as gifts to those in the pictures.

My next mission is to help capture these memories for those who dream of having those images that I didn’t have a chance to do for my grandmother.  I will try to help others live their dreams of existing in photographs so that 100 years from now, there is still proof that their souls had once passed through this earth.

Stay tuned!  In the upcoming post, I will share tips about how to properly store prints.