Casual photography increases appreciation, gratitude for life

Phoebe Miller ‘23 Associate Managing Editor

Since middle school, I have always received the same question from those around me:

“Why do you take pictures of everything?”

People have told me I need to live more in the moment, that I need to just appreciate things as they are and not focus on saving it for later.

But taking photos of nearly everything around me has actually taught me to appreciate the little things. For a while, I struggled to do this. COVID happened, then junior year, and it seemed that the reason life had lost its magic was that I was growing up and that’s just what happened. But after picking up photography, it showed me that this is not a natural part of life, it is instead what happens when a person loses sight of how truly beautiful her surroundings are.

My photography did not only mean capturing a small flower in the grass or a unique cloud in the sky, but the smiles on my friends’ faces as we laughed about something only we would understand. This past summer, my parents gifted me a 10-year-old Samsung digital camera. The battery is iffy and sometimes the screen glitches, but for me, it was the perfect way to record my senior year and remember the feelings I felt at the time I took each photo—the good, the bad and sometimes the ugly, even if I didn’t realize it at the moment. One of my favorite memories from this year was at one of the last football games. The fan section was mostly seniors, as we were the only ones who would brave the cold in order to enjoy one of our last Friday night lights games at Staples. I took some snaps of my friends, but then began taking photos of people in my grade who I had not often talked to. Eventually, somebody else got a hold of my camera, and as it was passed around, the perspectives of others were captured through the lens. I never realize how much I appreciate these photos until I look back at them.You can feel the genuine happiness and excitement we all had being there.

Hugs, cheering and camaraderie can all be experienced, and they are a perfect representation of the distinctive excitement of this portion of our lives. I plan on bringing my camera to college, as it’s truly been my crutch this year. I don’t plan on stopping my casual photography after high school, especially since I know it will help me to remember those unique feelings of life, such as walking through my dorm doors for the first time, or exploring a new place with new people. So, I encourage everybody to pick up a camera, or even just your phone, and snap some pictures when you are going about your day. It’ll show you just how beautiful humans and life can really be.