How much of life should one capture? Wether that be through photography, video/film, or in written form? How much should just be submitted to memory and thought about from time to time?

I have become a huge fan of photography and film the last couple years. There are so many styles and reasons to take a photo. Some capture a moment in time while others are timeless. There is photography as an art form and there is photography for the masses, which typically encompasses freezing a memory to be placed in an album for later review.

But sometimes taking photo's or whipping out the camcorder can take away from the moment. The trick is to know when to capture and when to release. I think this is one of the reasons why I can't stand reality TV. It's taking an art form or what should be a memory of an experience and commercializing it. Then prodding situations and setting things up for a contrived response that's just not natural. Hmm, it makes me squirm.

I didn't realize how much I learned from being on professional photo shoots. How to frame an image, how to capture a documentary feel, how to stage a high production shot with tons of lighting, and how to talk with people to make them feel at ease in front of the lens. Capturing people on film is amazing. Why do we never sound or look like what we think we do? I wish I had learned and absorbed more.

Then there is capturing nature. My favorite type of photography. It doesn't have to be nature per say, it just has to have interesting angles and texture and be void of action. These are timeless images or film that could have been shot in the 1800's or yesterday. They speak to the viewer regardless of time constraint.

I need a better camera. I need a better understanding of photography and film. I need to learn how to better manage my film and photo assets. I need to know when to capture and when to release. But I always need to bring the tools of capture with me. I always need to be open to learn more about the capture.