How does one capture daily moments?
We walk about our daily lives and pass by every minute without realizing how quickly time flies. Try slowing down our pace, observing every moment that goes by, feeling it and then capturing a snapshot.
When capturing what’s the first thought that crosses your mind? How amazing the sunset is, or how beautiful the flower is?. What about how simple the moment is or how in harmony with nature everything is? The idea of beauty differs from person to person. But, paying attention to simplicity and nature is what everyday life photography is all about. We are continuously looking at daily happenings and finding the inspiration to snap a shot; the thought should only be to do that. Staying in that moment where the eye can reflect it into a picturesque moment. It’s not about when I capture this; the first thing would be posting it on social media but, it’s about the moment itself.
Technology and social media, as good as it is, if we don’t use it productively, takes the taste of true photography out of our lives. We have “forgotten” what it is to capture the moment for what it truly is. There are 365 days photography challenges everywhere, only to challenge us to click simple moments without planning. These challenges are only to motivate the photographer, so we don’t lose touch with photography.
There is no technique necessary when clicking every day, but it’s more about paying attention to everything around us, feeling it and then transmitting it into a moment. It could be as simple as a cup of coffee on a table. You see, you like how it looked, and you clicked.
The image above has been captured by a good friend Elaine Taylor for her Project 365, and the image ultimately reflects the spontaneity yet the subtlety of the moment.
Here are some words from Elaine on why she wanted to try the 365 days Project and how the experience has been so far:
There were three things I wanted to do this year in relation to my mobile photography.
The first was to share more of what I shoot. I take shots every day but share just one or two images per week via my Instagram profile. I have thousands of images in my camera roll that are unlikely to be seen by anyone but me. The second was to take more pure Hipstamatic shots. I adore Hipstamatic. It’s the first app I installed on my phone and the thing that kickstarted my mobile photography passion. The third was to print more of my images.
I’d seen a post on Facebook by Eric Rozen, Founder of Hipstography.com. He was planning to do a 365 project this year. It inspired me to do the same. I thought it would be a great way to achieve all the things I’d mentioned above. So I set out to record a pure hipstamatic shot every day and intend to create (and print!) a book or calendar at the end of the process.
I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s a great way to document my every day life and will be a reminder of key dates/events, but much more than that, a reminder of the little important stuff that happens daily. I’m trying to focus on capturing an image that is a good reflection of that particular day without worrying about what I posted the day before. I’m aware that I won’t be sharing an amazing photo every day, but I hope each one will be meaningful and together provide a good reflection of 2017 when I look back on them.
A few of her images from her project:
Her images portray the moment in its purest and simplest time captured straight from the heart. And that is what photography is all about.
Sharing some of my everyday moments captured instantly and the stories behind it:
It was a clear day when we started our walking tour to the National Monument (Jakarta), and as we were about to finish the tour, the skies were starting to turn gray and gloomy. You can see our National Mosque in the distance, and I wanted to capture this image with the angle pointing towards the skies and mosque. There was not much contemplation to the capture but more of feeling and clicking.
Raindrops have always caught my attention for the longest time, not sure why but it’s probably the way the round drops beautifully form on the window. It is amazing how nature creates such intense, lovely moments precisely. It can be a challenge to capture raindrops especially to get the shot you have in your mind, but with a few clicks, I was able to click this image.
Sitting at the National Museum (Jakarta) coffee shop, I noticed this scene and instantly captured it. The classic windows, with the posters in frames and the bright yellow, transports you to a nostalgic era.
During Chinese New Year, I came across this lovely lantern decorations in an alley, and as always, the colors attracted my attention. The ambiance of the night filled with colors intensified my motivation to click simply.
This was a graphical poster I found at a mall in front of a renovated store. Something about the illustration transported me to Paris or Europe even and I wanted to try to create a picture with the graphics in the background.
This was captured last year at a restaurant during a trip to Bali. The table with a blend of the Singer Sewing Machine reminded me of the olden days. It was fascinating how creative the combination was. The sunlight in the backdrop reflecting on the table created an image in my mind.
Through all the images, you can see that eventually what sets everyday life images apart is they are unplanned. It is a moment that stands as it is and has been captured through the heart spontaneously. There has to be a blend of two things: what you feel during the moment and clicking it once you’ve felt it. Many times when I have done so, the images created turn out far better than the ones I planned.
We must not forget that very first feeling we felt when seeing the moment and transmit it into a scene so that as we look back, it will only make us Smile. Beautiful treasured moments do not come from planning rather from the willingness to take the leap of faith and taking a shot that has come from your heart.
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