less pictures. more people.

Okay, I will admit it. I am your typical millennial girl. I love social media, tattoos, traveling the world, and multitasking. But I am also constantly thinking, “Hang on. I need to get a picture of that. With these people. At that place. Doing this activity.”

Maybe this is just a millennial thing. With that being said though,  adults over the age of 35 please don’t judge! It’s not our fault that our lives are lived through phone screens and laptop monitors.

There is constantly this weird pressure to prove ourselves to everyone. Do you feel it sometimes? That is why lately I have been trying to have less pictures and more people. I want to enjoy the people I am with now, instead of the pictures I will look at later. I am the kind of person who is obsessed with documenting absolutely everything, so maybe it’s just me. But if you know how I feel, here are some of my thoughts to help you :

People are worth more than pictures.

The less I am worrying about taking pictures, the more I can focus on the people I am with. I mean, it sounds like a simple concept but it’s sad how much you miss when 25% of you is planning out the perfect picture. When I give people 100% of my attention, I can actually listen, laugh out loud, and give lots of hugs (my personal favorite). And those are always worth more than a picture.

Look at your phone less.

Our phones are vibrating reminders of the needy social world. By putting it away or flipping it over, it’s actually kind of amazing how you can simply forget about it altogether. One less distraction makes for a lot more conversations.

You are ‘liked’.

People are typically with you because they like you. They aren’t there because of your popularity, your looks, or your really cohesive Instagram theme. It’s because of who you are on the inside–your character and your heart. That’s something you can’t really put on Facebook. It’s when people like you without ‘liking’ you that really matters.

The moment is yours.

Whether or not you take a picture, the moment is forever in your memory either way. Enjoy it. Relax. When the time is right, snap a few pictures. But just remember that it’s not a big deal if you don’t. Some moments are better tucked away in that special spot in your heart anyways.

Disclaimer: I’m not saying to stop taking pictures. NO WAY JOSÉ. I am a documenter, remember? I love everything about pictures. The idea that memories can be captured in time and then held in your hands or hung on a wall, it’s beautiful. But it gets kinda blurry when the picture becomes the main reason you are there.

So instead, I try to take just a few unique pictures that capture the day.

Maybe it’s of the coffee cups, our feet on the sand, or a nerdy Polaroid picture. Whatever it is, this reminds me that it’s not about the pictures as much as it is about the people I’m taking them with.

Keep on smilin’,

Molly

“It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.” — Alfred Eisenstaedt

---