If Life Were a Series of Camera Filters

Capturing a moment in time with a single click whether it's with a smartphone or fancy camera allows the photographer the ability to share that moment for years to come. Photography is something I have recently become enamored with and am constantly searching for those poignant instances I know will spark conversations well after I leave this world.

My eye is getting better when searching for the right light or composition. The photos are pieces of art for me and I love being able to change a filter to help evoke more of the emotion I am attempting to catch. The use of filters made me think about what my life would look like if I could adjust a filter to convey a clear message to onlookers about my most pivotal moments.

Graduating from university, the first in my family, would be captured in a bright light, halo around me and a twinkle in my eye. Would I box it in with a frame? No, the world was my playground and opportunities seemed endless. Bright possibilities for an unknown future and excitement about what next lay ahead. This moment would have been shot with a lot of light and sparkle.

Filters with warm hues of orange and red would tell my story of my time living abroad in the land down under. It was an easy time when life was laid back and filled with meeting new people from around the world. The warmth of the hot sun could be felt even under the shade of a tree. An idyllic time of my youth until the dark black and grey filters of a failing relationship seeped in along the edges and slowly dimmed my light.

The years that encapsulated two failing marriages were dim, blurred and sad. No colour filters could be used to capture this time. The lines were harsh and broken, images foggy and my face barely recognizable. The scenes were almost melancholic and heartbreaking. I was lost in the grey and needed to find bright lights and colour again. And I did.

The colour exploded back into my life with filters that have clarity and focus to what became my most important reasons for being, my children. The images were sharp, playful and full of movement. They added vibrancy and depth to my life with the realization that things would be good again. And it was. It is.

 

So what filter am I using in my life now? Colours are a bit muted, a bit retro. Images are fading into the past, which can only mean one thing. Life is going to change. I feel it. And I think this next chapter will be the most vivid, the most colourful, the most wonderful yet.

Talk to me! What filter would represent your life right now?