Oregon Lovin' Utah Livin': let's talk about photography

So what even is this photography thing?

Think about it.

Step 1: Hold camera.

Step 2: Press button.

It's a staple of life. Everyone can take a picture so what makes it "a thing" so to speak?

There seem to be two attitudes toward photography:

First, there are the people that do it for a living like Ty and Jaci (if you speak the instagram language, you know who they are). They travel the world on a monthly basis getting paid the big bucks with only a high school diploma. Here's what they say about photography:

Ty: "My inspiration stems from capturing memories that will last a lifetime. Stylistically I love to create beautiful and unique photos that cater to the emotions associated with the event being captured. The images I capture for each client allow there to be a permanence of this step in your life and allow them to treasure it through their lifetime."

Jaci: "The art of photography is something I am utterly captivated by. I love that you can click a button, take a photo and have that moment documented for the rest of your life. It really is amazing!"

And you have to give it to them, some of their work is stunning.

But then you have the other side - people who may or may not see the value in photography and think anyone can be a photographer with the right equipment and editing programs.

My opinion lies somewhere in the middle.

I do believe that photographers are genuinely talented for the following reasons:

- being one requires some serious technical knowledge (there is a heck of a lot of equipment and program skill involved)

- you have to be creative. I'm really not that creative, but my bestie Anna is. When we go on adventures (and bring a whole new meaning to overload) that girl thinks of all the lighting, angle, pose, etc details that would just never occur to me.

- photographing people is way different than just scenery. You have to be personable and, again, have a creative and aesthetic eye when you capture families and individuals.

So that's what sets apart the talented from the amateur.

But even with those criteria, there's the editing game. Let me tell you, there is quite the spectrum of people and their filter usage, instagramically speaking. I think it's totally a personal thing, but you walk a fine line between enhancing the picture and losing the raw, natural value.

One of my favorite instagram users is @elise.sykes. She's not a photographer, but I'm obsessed with her pictures 1. because of her adorable family and contagious personality and 2. because she never edits her photos.

I love that she captures the most beautiful details of life in their "purest" form.

Ultimately, I don't think editing is a huge deal as long as you're capturing the meaningful parts of life and being yourself. My favorite instagram users are my favorites because of who they are, not because of their photography skill.

So to summarize this jumbled array of thoughts: photography is totally a thing.

It's a beautiful, fun, and important vehicle for preserving and cherishing memories and not just anyone can take quality pictures.

I'm definitely not a photographer, but I'd like to think I'm better than your average joe at clicking the button (and shoutout to the best friend for teaching me a thing or two ;)

My camera roll is always growing and this blog will never be short of an overload, #sorrynotsorry, but going forward: my goal is to document the meaningful and appreciate the raw & natural.

With that, here's this week: unedited.