Photograph

I'm not the best photographer in the world, but that doesn't mean I don't take a lot of pictures. I am always the one with my Iphone out and ready to capture the moment. The birthday parties, the pumpkin patch, the girls nights and baby showers. Click. Click.

I long to take pictures that capture the feeling of a moment. The romance and hopefulness of a newlywed's first dance, the surprise and joy of a baby taking his first steps, the peaceful calm that comes from walking along a mountain stream at 9000 feet.... but my photographs always come up short, they feel stilted and lack the depth of emotion I wish to convey. Forced smiles, dulled colors, somehow the sparkle of glacial waters just doesn't shine through.

Today was an absolutely gorgeous fall Colorado day. The trees in gold and red, the sky blue,  and yet the sun was more forgiving than the summer months just past. I suppose having spent the past several autumns in California, this October has seemed particularly spectacular.

I wanted to capture today in a photograph, to catch the way the light made the fall colors nearly glow, the way the air felt just right, and  the wind whispered hope and promised joy. But I knew my camera would get it wrong and if I looked at in years to come it would mean nothing, it would become just a pretty picture the feeling of the moment gone.

So instead of a photograph I tried to hold the image in my heart and write it on paper, holding on to the feeling of a beautiful fall day, knowing that this way I would not forget.