What does the topic of “Thanksgiving” have to do with photography?
Well for many folks there are family gatherings and that often means some family photos will be taken, capturing those special memories. And then of course there is the infamous “Black Friday” where some of you might be out hunting for some great deal on camera gear you’ve been wanting. But I wanted to send out this post to mention the importance of “gratitude” in photography. It’s about “giving thanks”.
Sometimes we overlook the mundane, the things and people around us all the time that we simply take for granted. When we take things for granted, we sort of become blind to the beauty around us and to the many gifts we have been given in life.
I know if I focus on what I DON’T HAVE, I start to overlook all that I DO HAVE.
Researchers have found that when people just focus on what they don’t have, they are less happy and satisfied by life. Want to be happier? Shift your focus. Intentionally make yourself aware of all that is good in your life, even the small things. Maybe even make a “gratitude list” and actually write down all that you are grateful for. The more you work on that list, the more you may discover the list will get quite long. You may even discover you have an abundance of gratitude items on your list.
This indeed applies to photography also. If you look at a place or a moment in time with a focus on what is “not good about it” or you just don’t see anything to photograph there, it might be that you just haven’t taken the time to pause and take in the small details that ARE beautiful.
If you look with an attitude of anticipation that there IS something great there, you will start looking for what is good rather than ignoring it all. You might look at a forest that has been damaged by fire, and rather than saying it is ugly, you search until you find a new tree sprouting up, or a bird resting on a branch, or maybe some interesting patterns in the burn marks on the trees.
Being grateful for this magnificent world opens up a new way to see all that is around you. There is an abundance of beautiful photographs to be taken right around you, perhaps at this very moment. It is a matter of changing how you see it all.
Practice a life of gratitude.
And on this Thanksgiving, do some thanks-giving.
And maybe take a few photographs of your family. Never take them for granted.
