This Magic Moment

We have all had them… the most picture perfect moments in our lives when we wish we could stop time. Soak it all in for just a few minutes. And then let the rest of the night carry out. We long to go back to those moments. To relive the magic that seemed to appear out of nowhere, but we can’t. If we’re lucky we captured a few photos of that day/night, so we can always look back and reminisce.

I would like to think that while my obsession with taking photos is annoying, many are grateful I stuck my camera in their face for 5 minutes. Unfortunately, my photography skills are nothing to write home about, so more often than I’d like, the photos are basic. I envy the people who work wonders with a camera – like real life friends Susan (wedding photographer) and Christiana (lifestyle photographer). They seem to catch the most amazing images on film with so much ease – and not just professionally, their personal photos of their children and family are just as amazing.

Sometimes a photo doesn’t do the magic of the moment any justice. Someone didn’t smile, their eyes were closed, or the focus was off. The moment below is the perfect example… my sisters, Annabelle, and I were laughing on the trampoline together at our house in Cape Cod. We were SO happy, practically overflowing with joy from being together in our favorite place, and asked someone to snap a picture.

Clearly this is a photo of someone taking our photo. Sadly, both images were equally as crummy. Does that mean the moment never happened? No. It just means the magic of the moment is something we will only remember in our minds and awaken when we talk about the memories of our summer in Cape Cod.

And then sometimes the photo works out perfectly – your Dad smiles (when he never smiles) and there isn’t a finger over the lens. Rarely do I get a photo of my father that shows his happy side since he doesn’t like to open his mouth when he smiles for pictures. But in this moment above, he did. And this photograph represents a time when it was just me and my Dad, having a cocktail in our favorite place together, talking about life without a care in the world. It was pure magic.