It’s A Jay Thing

I am not sure when I fell in love with photography, but I CAN tell you who caused it.

From the time I was a little girl, I loved having my picture taken – except school pictures, I despised school pictures. The Lifetouch lights always made my sensitive eyes water! What I did love was posing as a bride with lace fabric pinned to my hair or propped up on a pedestal of some kind and cheesing it up for anyone who would provide some applause.

My Grandpa Jay had a Canon camera with a green and orange neck strap that followed me around during my childhood. If we went to the park, the camera came too. If we did craft projects in the backyard, the camera was always nearby. With the camera was always my Grandpa; adjusting the aperture and making sure everything was focused, he would take one or two precious photos. That was the nature of photography when I was little. NO instant replay and option to delete the photos when my eyes were closed. No instant gratification of seeing the moment that was captured. No, we would have to wait until the roll of film was completely filled with carefully composed photographs and then pay another $5.99 at Rite-Aid to have the photos developed.

** I did NOT inherit my Grandpa’s patience, and waiting the three days for photo processing was horrible.

I only asked for one thing that belonged to Grandpa when my parents were cleaning out my grandparent’s house. The Canon with the green and orange neck strap. It is a treasure that reminds me of the many great adventures, and photo shoots, with my Grandpa.

My Dad has always liked photos too. Unfortunately for me, he was the one generally taking the photos and appears in less of them than I would like. – A habit I have made my own as well. He always asks for everyone to get together for a quick photo and I learned everything I know about being a paparazzi from my Dad. – Seriously, he is stealthy! Whenever there was a momentous life event, my Dad was nearby with his camera. The same was true for the little moments too – because a six-year old playing dress-up must have her photograph taken.

I can’t even begin to explain how grateful I am for the gift of photos and the wonderful memories they hold. I am no professional photographer (not even close!) but it is something I wholeheartedly enjoy. Especially since I no longer have the added expense of film and the agony of waiting for developing!

Happy photo-taking, friends!