Tell me a story

When I look at this photo, I am transported back to the exact moment it was taken. We went for a walk on Thanksgiving day around the abandoned streets of Houston and found ourselves in an empty sculpture park. Along the way, my 3-and-a-half year old nephew had selected a pine cone and a stick with great care. And as boys do, suddenly the pine cone and stick turned into a ball and bat.

My sister-in-law and I sat and watched as a 3-and-a-half year old welcomed two grown men into his world. All three were transported to another time, another place, another age and before they knew it, they had built up a sweat, playing stickball like there was no tomorrow. They laughed and howled as my sister-in-law and I cheered them on from the sidelines. The lone guard on site sat by quietly, seemingly annoyed by the disruption to his peace and quiet. When they lost the pine cone and the foul ball went into the stands (a.k.a. the bushes), the guard stood up, walked over to the boys, and handed them a new pine cone.

Thanks and giving.

That is what I see when I look at this photo. I see the story, one that could have been lost if not for my trusty iPhone. Since I was shooting with an iPhone, thoughts of ISO and aperture and shutter speed were irrelevant. What mattered in this moment was the emotion, the love, the story. Luckily, you don’t need a $1500 lens to tell a story.

To me, that is what photography is all about. It’s easy to get wrapped up in getting the “perfect” photo, acquiring the “perfect” equipment, and getting your exposure, composition, and white balance just right. But when it comes down to it, the only thing that matters to me is if the photo tells a story and if it transports me back to that moment.

I often wonder how much I would miss out on if I didn’t always have my camera with me. Whether it’s with my fancy camera or my iPhone, I am continually compelled to photograph these everyday moments. Photographing the seemingly ordinary provides me with a way to find magic and beauty in my everyday life. It slows down my rapid pace and helps me focus (literally and figuratively) on what’s really important.

Have you found this to be true? Today, share your perfectly imperfect photos – the ones that tell a story, slow down everyday life, and transport you back to a time and place that are meaningful to you.

Image and words by Honorary Sister / Guest blogger Darrah Parker.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a spot in the Slice of Life Project, a six-week photography e-course taught by Darrah in which she will guide you to capture YOUR everyday life in extraordinary ways. Class begins January 3 and will jump-start your creativity in the new year. Comment between now and Monday 12/6 for a chance to win.

Comments

[robin]

I would love to be a part of such a life life transforming experience. Thanks so much for the opportunity to win.

[Marcie]

Love this image..and especially the story you've told to go with it. So many of my images - speak to their ordinary stories.
Like this:
http://marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1377
And even this:
http://marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1380
Would love the opportunity to be a part of your e-class!!!

[Brenda]

I am always looking for ways to improve the way I "see" life. Thanks for the opportunity to win a place in the upcoming class.

The photo below is of my grandson Elliot at Thanksgiving. He is sitting in my daughter's lap (his aunt), trying to put her credit cards back into her wallet. His look of concentration at this all-important task is priceless. Because he is normally always in motion, this was a chance to capture him in a quiet moment - a good thing for me as my skills at shooting moving objects leave something to be desired.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gottgraphicsdesign/5212505247/

[ScrappBarb]

Wow, great image and story. Thanks for a chance to win a spot in the class.

[Ashlotte]

I love this! And I so agree, my favorite photos are the ones that are from a special moment rather than how great the composition is. I have a picture of my fiance and I from probably a minute after we got engaged that's like that. It was midnight and we were outside, so its obviously not the greatest photo in the world, but most definitely one of my most favorite pictures in the world! Its the little moments that can so easily be unnoticed by our cameras because they're not "perfect" that make the most charming photos!!

[Amy D]

I love how the picture looks "old fashioned" and really evokes the feeling of many years ago. Also a reminder that simple things can be the best...look what happened with just a stick and a pinecone!

[Angie]

I agree family storytelling through photography is a gift. My camera has brought me out of my shell and taught me to enjoy the details of my everyday life. I do have a tendency to get caught up in the technical details of a shot. I'd love to learn to let go a bit and let things happen in an organic fashion.

[Jade Sheldon]

Wow, such a lovely moment: in this day and age, we don't take enough time out to enjoy the simple things in life.

I look at this photo and am reminded of the perfect cold winter day that my love and I spent together:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmsheldon/4882358961/

[bridge]

I find this to be true for sure. So many photos that look less than perfect bring me back to a perfect moment.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridethewavesoflife/2250263128/
This photo actually brings me back 4 Christmases ago to an adventurous beautiful tree cutting day.

[jane]

i love the story that picture tells - of joy, of playfulness, of kindness, of unclenching!

here is one of joy for me - my daughter at the beach this winter playing in the sinky sand

http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m467/faerian/DSC00742.jpg

[Krista Kruger]

I know exactly what you mean. I ventured out with my Dad's old AE-1 this fall. I had never used it, and it was a bit of a mystery to me. This shot, http://kristakruger.com/?p=382 , tells the story of that day whenever I look at it. I see happiness, and sorrow and tons of intense emotion. For some reason the colours and noise in the picture convey everything that day was to me.

[Siobhan Wolf]

This is the reason I stated taking photos in my younger years and why I began documenting the stories in scrapbook albums as well. Yes, the love. Yes, the memories. Yes, the jumping off into the stories. Yes, yes, yes!

[gina]

So encouraged that I don't need to be thinking about aperture and shutter speed to take awesome pictures .... would lvoe to win that spot in your class

xoxo
g

[erika]

Agreed. I think the key to to take the photo!

[Melanie]

Wonderful story and wonderful photo:) My husband had a quilt made for me out of photos that I chose and it is my most treasured possession. He knows how much I love my photos:)

[Amy W]

There are times when I make the decision not to take my camera so that I will be part of the story and the memory. But I usually have one camera with me.

This is from my iphone and appropriately titled thankful.jpg because I was so thankful to climb in to bed with my son and have some time together in the morning before moving on with our day.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj65/themightyquinnw/thankfulbw.jpg

[evalyn]

What a wonderful photo and story. These are the types of photos I long to take.

[Katherine]

What a great story, very inspirational :) And your e-class looks wonderful! I'd love the chance to participate. I always find myself seeking out unfamiliar places in which to take pictures, and have a very difficult time photographing what I already know (unless I make it seem alien and abstract). I would love some inspiration on ways to see what's already around me :)

[AndMilesToGo]

I love this photo and a perfect example of being "in the moment." Beautiful.

[Crystal]

Your story is inspiring. I too find that doing all the technical stuff sometimes overwhelms the moments I want to save. I would love to be in your class - thank you for sharing!

[anita]

We do get caught up in the "perfect" image. I would love to rediscover finding the moment. Thanks for the chance to learn how.

[Diane]

I too love photos that tell a story. it doesn't matter if it's a part of my story or the story that can be imagined of strangers. As the saying goes, "everyone has a story". Thank you for this heartwarming post.

[Sandra]

I love the way photos tell stories..the way they whisk you back in time to that very instance. this is beautiful.

[Jen]

I love interaction between strangers, especially captured with a camera!

[Meghan]

Love how photos tell a story. Or let someone else project their own story onto it.

[Mom~Mommy~Mama]

That class sounds great! I'd love to win a spot in it!

[onecraftychick]

Though my DSLR is almost always with me, I love the fact that my iPhone is literally always there. Some of the greatest pics have be captured with a little 3MB cell phone camera. Thank goodness for the little moments.

[Jill]

Nine times out of ten, my favorite photos are the ones that no one but myself could identify. They spark an interest in me, for some strange reason, and I snap the photograph. Most of my favorite vacation spots are taken from behind . . . probably because I don't want to see the reaction of "another photo" by my children.

[Erika]

Would love a spot in this class. Thank you for the opportunity.

[Rebecca]

Love the post/picture!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebeccasmithphotography/5236284980/

My photo: After a long winter my girls and I were aching for the ocean. One freezing cold March day--we dressed accordingly, packed hot chocolate, and lots of blankets, and ran off to the coast. We then unpacked on our favorite 'rock beach'. We sat, drank, and just listened to the ocean and enjoyed breathing in the familiar smells (my girls are a lot like me and love to smell things). The sun was VERY warm.

I love this picture because it captures one of my chicks, Hannah--simply enjoying the moment. I love the look of pure joy on her face as she sits with her eyes closed, warming herself in the sun, and just drinking it all in.

[NorthGeorgiaGal]

I have just discovered this site and have enjoyed it very much. Very thought provoking. I have several photographs - but this one tells a story to me, that goes to the core of my heart with two beings that mean the world to me..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/m_allen/5042915668/

I believe I could get so much out of a class on capturing the everyday in extraordinary ways..

Cheers,
NGG

[Elizabeth Crocker]

I live in Houston, over 40 years now, and I would never recognize that place. I do however find myself instantly transported right to the late 60's or early 70's! What a great processing job to make that show what it is!
http://www.thewayiseeitthroughmylens.blogspot.com

[Stephanie Compton]

I love capturing life's little moments and what others don't always see but I do......

[Lorie]

This is my first visit to your blog, and what a jolt. I'm a married mom to three young children but staring right back at me is a photograph of a courtyard I sat in 10 years ago, 1,000 miles away, single and happy and lonely and hopeful, sketching in a sculpture garden and so content. You can't see me but I'm around the corner from the little boy, with a smile on my face, just like right now.

[Doreen]

cute shot and story. like what you did with the image.

thanks for the chance to win!

[Chelsea C]

Great post. Having my iphone is one of the best things ever, I take a lot of photos with it when I don't have my camera with me, or cameras are not allowed, or I just want to take a goofy or quick picture to remind me of something. After I read this post I went back into the folder of iphone photos on my computer and it made me so happy. So many little moments or places I would have forgotten about otherwise. Most are not perfect photos technically, but I totally agree that so much of photography is about documenting time.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chelscham/5236437952/

This photo was a time when my ex-roommates and I all met back in San Francisco for a friend's wedding. We all lived together in college, and we spent a wonderful weekend together with the wedding, catching up, and ending it here, with brunch at Mama's cafe at Washington Square. I can almost taste the French Toast. I remembered the wedding, but forgot about brunch...wonderful yummy brunch!

[lauren martin gauthier]

storytelling is, in my mind, that most powerful tool that humanity holds in our hands! whether through our camera lens, putting pen to paper, or telling stories around a bonfire (the list of possibilities is limitless, really), when we wield stories, we open ourselves and others up to the possibility of powerful transformations taking place! i'd love to explore this further through the SOL e-course!

[Sharon]

Such a lovely post. That is my ideal way to practice photography, yet so easy to forget.

[Chrystal]

What a beautiful story. I love the way the picture actually looks older than it is. I think that actually adds to the loveliness of the story of stickball. :)

[lu]

i enjoyed the story behind this image. it is wonderful.

[Melinda]

I love this story and your blog! So many photography blogs are all about the GEAR! Thank you for reinforcing my belief that I don't need the most expensive camera or lens to express myself through photography!

[Sarah]

I completely agree. It is so easy to get caught up in getting the perfect shot with perfect settings. I often find myself not liking some photos because of their technical imperfections and then having to remind myself that its ok to just be in the moment and not worry about everything else.

[Becky Sue]

My husband thinks that if you are taking photos you are missing what's really going on. I disagree, I see a bigger picture and a much smaller one too. If I don't have my camera to capture the moment I most likely won't remember it in time.

[Leslie]

I would love a chance to win. It’s so true, its the camera you have with you not they camera itself.

[Christian @ Modobject at Home]

It's so easy to get caught up in the gear and technicals of photography when really, it's all about the story.

[Jess]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theoldnicholsfarm/5222146269/

This one tells me a story. Maybe not to anyone else, but to me! :)

[Jamie Solorio]

Oh, this would be so much fun! Thanks for the chance!!!!

[gloria king]

I find that even though I agree with this post completely every time someone takes the time to write about finding the story in our everyday life it reminds me to do it. To stop moving so fast and trying to take a perfect picture and instead live my life and take pictures...Thanks for the awesome reminder..

[Margaret]

Great story... you are so right, it's the story and the little things that photography is all about. I have to admit, there are times I put the dslr on "automatic" to stop the technical details from getting in the way!

[Jessica]

What a great photo. I am always being picked on for taking photos of "everything," but the same people often appreciate it later when I capture a moment that they will always treasure. :) Would love to win a spot in this e-course!