Capture the Moment...

If there is one thing that I find most important about photography, design, art or music...  it is the importance of capturing the moment.  

I can remember a few years back when I was working a full time job and trying my best to make a future with my music.  I worked hard all week and spent nearly every weekend on the road.  I even had to use my vacation time to tour which led to my wife and kids taking a separate vacation than me every year.  I can remember back on all the moments I had and lost.

We had some good times playing music.  I wont pretend that we didn't.  It was fun and I loved the creative outlet.  There were things that happened that I wish I could freeze in time... like a photo.  Then I think of all the moments I missed.  Like the phone call I got after playing a crowd of a couple thousand.  I left the stage to see a message on my cell.  I call my wife back to learn my daughter had given her heart to the Lord that night!  I would have easily traded that crowd for the opportunity to witness that with my own eyes.  As my daughter grew I noticed that I was missing more and more moments that I would never get back. 

After the birth of my son I decided that I was just sick of missing out on moments.  I actually left the hospital to open for a very well known CCM artist...  with nothing to show for it today.  It didn't take long before I left the hassle of touring.  We made some music, we made some money, and we made some memories...  Good enough for me.  

As I made some serious decisions to no longer miss out on my life's precious little moments, it is no wonder that as I picked up the camera, that it became my obsession to capture all of life's little moments.  It was easy at first to get hung up on the details.  The wondering if I had everything set perfectly in a technical since.  Worrying if other photographers would like my work.  Eventually, all of that clouded my mind and ultimately my eyes from seeing and capturing the moment.  A quick step back and a deeper evaluation of what it was I was trying to accomplished helped me focus more on the thing happening in front of my lens and just a little less on what I was trying to do to capture it.  

I had just this kind of moment this past Christmas season when I took my family to a place called We Care Park.  It is a winter wonderland of lights to help raise money for the needy in our area.  My son Gavin was looking down at the lights in front of him.  I was able to catch that moment as the light caught in his eyes.  Is it technically perfect?  Not at all... However, it grabs that moment when a little boy is mesmerized by lights and the magic of the season.  I hope you enjoy this photo as much as I do.