Those of us who are photographers understand how important capturing that perfect memorable moment is when trying to create lasting memories with our lenses. Some of those skills include:
- Being in the right place at the right time
- Having a lens ready
- Recognizing a seemingly mundane moment and capturing it anyway
- Organizing image composition and photo-editing
In the 21st century, it is very easy to handle the first two points using mobile phones or technology. Taking random photos at random times of random things is another skill I find easy. Because we blog, I imagine that we get in the habit of taking pictures of everything…just in case.
The featured image shows the power of the water roaring over the Nine Mile Falls Dam for which my small rural town is named.
Another way to capture a moment is to indulge in some photo editing, especially if you want to frame or print an image and give it to someone, or perhaps sell it. Basic and recommended photo-editing involves cropping, adjusting exposure and color which assists with the composition of the image.
Most of you have seen my images edited with the Painnt App filter. Below is a good example of how you can take a good image and turn it into something great and perhaps memorable. The gallery cuts off the right image too much, but you get the idea.
This filter on the right added the look of snow falling and the texture of canvas while warming the colors. It was also cropped to a square size.
With all the above components in mind, the final deer image becomes a piece of art or at the very least, becomes etched in my memory of a place I visited in early 2022, which happened to be our day trip to Grand Coulee Dam in Central Washington.
Memories of Mom, A Woman of History
This theme idea came up because most of you know I lost two moms within a year of each other, my mom in March 2020 and my mother-in-law in February 2021. I whiled away a few hours looking at images of both moms and remembering so many times we spent together. I decided to play around with the Painnt filter for this photo of my mom from 2000.
She would have hated it, but the filter gives the image a rustic, sepia-tone that speaks of her history. March is Women in History month, so this seemed like the best way to remember the impact my mother had on my life.
Although Mom passed away just three months shy of her 80th birthday, she created a legacy of leisure for her family and grandchildren. We spent nearly every Sunday, at her urging, exploring the San Diego beaches, attending dog shows (where her gorgeous collies were being shown), going to the San Diego Zoo (she had a yearly membership and free family pass), taking long drives to the mountains, and spending weeks during summers camping in National Parks. Also, on summer evenings we stopped at Der Wienerschnitzel for hot dogs on the way to sunset walks on the beach at the Coronado or Pacific Beaches. Once my younger brothers grew up and moved out, she often hiked with new friends in the Sierra Club.
“In 1998 she became a volunteer with San Diego’s Project Wildlife and spent 10 years rescuing orphaned and injured ducks, nursing them back to health, and releasing them back into local lakes and reservoirs.”
Obituary, March, 2020, East County Californian
When my daughters were born, she traveled 500 miles north to Sacramento 5-6 times a year to be with us and see her only grandchildren. A gifted musician and artist, she taught them how to read music and always had complicated art projects at the ready for them.
I recently posted on Instagram and Facebook some memories of my mom. You will see my mom wore her shorts short and her hair big!
“Well-behaved women rarely make history.”
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Her legacy continues today as the monies we received from the sale of her home in 2021 have helped my brothers and me to make memories in our new homes.
“Every day, create your history, every path you take you’re leaving a legacy.”
Michael Jackson
Mom would approve.
A Few More Memories
How does one choose favorite memories? You don’t really. These images commemorate important milestones and joys of my life in somewhat chronological order.
Photo Challenges this Week
- Cee’s Black & White Challenge Sepia portrait of Mom
- Hammad’s Weekend Sky Aurora in gallery
- Johnbo’s CellPic Sunday
- Marsha’s Writers Quotes Wednesdays Memories and Legacy of Mom
Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders
Sunday Stills weekly challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post.
- Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
- Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
- Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
- Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
- I also recommend adding your post’s URL into the comments.
This Week’s Links
Sunday Stills is a wonderful community of bloggers and photographers who desire to connect with one another. Below are this week’s links from bloggers who shared memorable photos. I add these all week as your new links are published.
- YOUR NAME HERE!
- Always Write
- Cee’s Photo Challenges
- Deb’s World
- Easin’ Along Image shared in comments
- Frost on The Moose Dung
- Graham’s Island
- Hugh’s Views and News Image in Comments
- Jacquie Biggar, Author
- Kamerapromenader
- Light Write Life
- Loving Life
- Now At Home
- Philosophy Through Photography
- Priorhouse Blog
- Robert’s Snap Spot
- Stevie Turner
- Travel With Me
- Wide-Eyed Wonderings
- Wind Kisses
- Woolly Muses
- Working on Exploring
This week for Sunday Stills, show us your memorable moments! Tell us how YOU make memories.
I’ve stolen this quote from Marsha’s WQW as this sums up today’s post:
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”
Dr. Seuss
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