Sometimes, especially as I get older, life really does whiz by. My first reaction is to scream, “STOP! Slow down!”
This may sound silly, but the first time I used one of those seven day pill containers for some vitamins, I distinctly remember thinking at the end of the first week when it was time to fill it up again, that the week seemed to go so much faster than when I wasn’t using something that counted the days. It was actually depressing. And I used to work with someone who took delight in crossing off each day on her desk calendar. I thought to myself that she, being younger than I was, wouldn’t always like crossing off the days with glee.
My choice isn’t to try to slow life down, because I can’t no matter what I do. But I can savor and enjoy the life I have, troubles and all. Our lives, no matter how short or how long, have a purpose to them. Part of our purpose is to be in awe of the beauty around us, and the God who made it. That’s why I love photography. I can hang a print on my wall and make greeting cards to look at and bless others with instead of just trying to remember what a place or animal or person or flower looked like. It’s actually a small but significant way to stop time.
These photos may look like reflections, and I love reflections. But they were actually taken out the window of a car speeding down the road. I used a small aperture (f/16) and fairly fast shutter speed (1/10-1/20) and kept the camera steady. It’s kind of like reverse panning, which is moving the camera side to side or up and down while shooting a non-moving subject.
This last photo is a still of what the actual trees looked like. They were gorgeous, but I like the speedy photos best. They have movement, lovely color patterns, and mystery. What I, and maybe you, want in life as we whiz by!
Kankamangus Highway, New Hampshire. Fall, 2017