I believe in capturing and remembering memorable moments in life. Photographs are a work of art. They give off a certain feeling that is somewhat indescribable. It can take the viewer back to a time and place that brings back so many memories. Photographs can consist of many detail and color. They contain enough detail to allow the viewer to feel a certain, unique and special way. Photographs can be small and easy to carry around, yet big and heavy to hang up on a wall. Photographs are always beautiful is some type of way. They just are. They are beautiful because of the color or what the picture is of or about. It is beautiful because it is or may be a happy picture, but it can also be beautiful because it’s sad and dark that it brings such a powerful feeling of sadness and reflection towards the viewer. What I love about photographs is that they can be universal, saying that anyone that sees it can understand it, and feel different feelings towards it. Some may like it, some may don’t, and some may not even feel anything towards it, but that is okay because not every single picture will make you feel some type of way. For example a picture of an apple may not make you feel sad, but to someone else a picture of an apple may bring a sad memory. It depends, it is always different for everyone. Not everyone is the same.

I try to value every moment I live, both the good and the bad. I love to look back at photographs and remember the really good and happy times I’ve had and in a way re-experience them. I look back at pictures from middle school and they always make me laugh. It’s just funny how different, and small I was. How strange my wardrobe choices were, how unattractive I use to do my hair, it was just awful but funny. My friends and I look through old pictures and begin talking about them and judging how strange we were. Remembering exactly what we wore that day, how sunny it was outside, what mood we were in. There is this picture I love to always look at, and it’s a picture that was taken on my first day of seventh grade when I moved to Belle Creek. It was the first day I met my best friend, BobbiSue. Honestly I thought she was the weirdest kid ever! That day I wore an ugly green uniform shirt with khaki pants. BobbiSue wearing the usual, a white shirt, and with her hair up that day. I walked towards her and a couple of other girls, and BobbiSue was catching grasshoppers. She would just catch them and who knows what she did with them. I honestly thought she was crazy! Now we always talk about that day, it great!

Another picture that brings me memories is a picture I took about three years ago. It is a picture of my cousin and I. This photograph makes me feel sad. My cousin and I were really close, we use to do everything together. She was the most cheerful, happy, bright young girl you can imagine.  I remember this day because she had just returned from Mexico from her long vacation. We were all very happy to see her. We all celebrated and had a good time. About three or four months later, I received the most heartbreaking, tragic, painful news ever. My 17 year old cousin had committed suicide. I did not want to believe anything my parents were telling me. I refused. Nobody knew why she did it, until after several weeks it turned out that she was pregnant. We are not sure if that is the reason why she did it. I just wish she would have just talked to me or to someone she really trusts about what was going on. This photograph is very powerful, to me personally.

I believe in photographs, because not only do they help me remember important and meaningful moments of my life but they allow me to appreciate every little thing in life, both the good and the bad, and never forget.