Last summer, when attending my sister’s wedding in Pakistan, it started raining heavily. My siblings, cousins and I went crazy- we were playing, jumping and doing all kinds of stupid, crazy stuff as if we were seeing rain for the first time (it was one of those moments when you just forget that you’re not 12 anymore).
Anyways, when all the fun was over and we all came to our senses; I ruined it all saying:
“What’s the use? We didn’t snap any pictures to post on Insta.”
Just as the words slipped my mouth, I realized what I did.
I literally just ignored all the fun that was way more precious than getting a 1,000 likes on Instagram.
Why in the world do I have to prove myself to the world that I’m happy? Sharing is good, but this is way more than sharing; its obsession!
During the whole trip, I started noticing that the moments I spent not trying to take a perfect picture for the sake of social media, I was actually having more fun (know what I mean?) Even just having fun for the sake of pictures is nothing as compared to real fun.
Disclaimer: This post is not against Instagram, Snapchat or any other social media, I totally love these platforms. I’m selfie-obsessed myself. But I realized that living in those moments holds far more importance. Life should be enjoyed to the fullest just to live, and not to live in a show (does that make sense to you?)
And I’m not judging. I can’t. Till last year, I myself even used to buy a dress just to look good on Instagram.
The biggest anxiety attacks I got were – the lighting isn’t great, the camera angle is low or even worse: how do I select the perfect filter?
We even chose restaurants with dim lighting (for better snaps obviously).
Why do we have to narrate everything online rather than actually living those moments?
Remember grandma’s stories? None of them started with “it was a sunny afternoon and we took 35 pictures…”
Is Tagging the Only Way Left to Say Thanks?
If someone buys me flowers, in exchange, is it necessary to take a picture and upload it? After all, what is the point of being happy if not everyone knows about it?
It’s NOT Photography even!
Best photography is not the one that has perfect lighting or precise angle; the creativity is in the eyes of the camera man. The best photographer enjoys the beauty; he feels it and then knows how to capture it in his/her own beautiful way.
Did you know the Cute Orangutan in the Rain Story?
Photographer Andrew Suryono said: ‘I was taking pictures of some orangutans in Bali and then it started to rain.
‘Just before I put my camera away, I saw this orangutan take a banana leaf and put it on top on his head to protect himself from the rain.
‘I immediately used my DSLR and telephoto lens to preserve this magic moment.’
(Resource: Daily Mail)
His intention was not to win any kind of award or to show off to the world. He found a moment worth capturing and went ahead with it. He ended up winning the World’s Largest Photography Award.
Peter Anger, a professional photographer with 30+ years of experience, agrees with the situation saying; “When you’re taking a photograph you’re no longer present, you’re focused on taking a photograph and not in the moment just enjoying it. I’ve learned over the years that many times it’s important to just enjoy the moment rather than thinking about how to make an image of it. Also, a photograph is not reality, it’s an illusion of the light of the moment and many times the photo cannot capture what your eye’s are seeing and experiencing. Your human eye sees things very differently from the camera and the images made can be very disappointing for many different reasons.”
The funny thing is, we are no longer seeing stuff in our daily lives through our own eyes, and are rather judging them through Social Media’s. Most of us select a get together spot that is sure to highlight “I’m cool enough to afford a place like this” on social media. In other words: we engage in behaviors that get more traffic.
There are happy couples who don’t think posting a ton of pictures bragging their love online is necessary. Again that doesn’t imply that they are unhappy or that their love has lessened.
Why put a screen between you and your life? Technology is helpful in networking, I agree, but isn’t it a bit weird to use it when we’re with real people to capture the digital version which is actually just another post on the social media.
Living in the moment means capturing the moment in your mind and imprinting it in your memory. You only live once so just extract all the yummy juice out of this beautiful life that is present in front of you.
Do you think people didn’t connect before social media? They didn’t enjoy? It was called playing outside, back then.
Wouldn’t your kid rather prefer to watch you cheering uncontrollably to the sidelines over her big goal than you flashing thumbs up just to keep the camera angle perfect? And even then no matter how hard you try, that image quality will be blurry. We spend a whole lot for a concert and ruin it by recording the whole thing on our phones; knowing that the quality will be bad, shaky and let’s not even talk about the sound quality. Why not just enjoy the show and take a shot at the end or at the beginning of the show if you need a memory. Is all this hassle worth it to provide evidence that you were there and having fun?
The takeaway:
A new study has found that 58% of people believe that “posting the perfect picture has prevented them from enjoying life’s experiences.”
Don’t let your photographs ruin your experience. Look at it as a receipt to the experience. For instance, if you have to go to an event or meet someone you adore, just enjoy the time and snap a photo in the end for a memory. Live your life cherishing the beautiful moments and creating stories that would stay in your heart for a long time. Pictures will fade, your most precious memories will not.
About the Author:
Aimz Khalid is the entrepreneur behind AimzFolio. She enjoys Art in every form there is. When it comes to writing, Aimz likes to write about Beauty, Self-Development and Health related topics.
Aimz dreams to travel every inch of the globe and works hard to achieve it and she can be found blogging at AimzFolio.
Salaam,
I absolutely loved this post because this is exactly what I have to stop myself from doing sometimes! I get upset if a brilliant memory isn’t recorded as a photo or video. Then I think, you can’t take photos with you! Treasure the moment, and how it felt! Not how it looked! Somethings we should keep to ourselves!
Kelly
Thank you so much for liking it. I’m still struggling with obsessive selfies but Alhumdulillah I’ve managed to change the mindset of the perfect picture.
Jazak Allah for giving me the opportunity to write for your website. I’m so honored and hope people will take this article positively. I have absolutely no grudge against Photography or Social Media. It’s the way we use technology that bothers me.
Aiman recently posted…How He Survived After his Dream was Burnt to Ashes
Wa iyaaki. And JazakAllah khair for sharing your article with us. I think many will agree with what you have written. I must admit sometimes I have taken a picture thinking this will look good on instagram!