Capturing life, ugh how cheesy...

"Capturing Life" was going to be the title of this post. It sounds cheesy and cliché. Almost every photographer will advertise or say they capture special moments, or capture life, or capture time blah blah blah.  They say that because damn it it's true, but the phrase sounds so fake.  So overly sentimental and ooey gooey squishy feelings. Probably because it's over used. Just like "I have a passion for photography."  It's true, but every photographer has some degree of passion for photography, so...duh right?  Now to run off and see if my bio contains that phrase..one sec.

Ok, I'm back, nope I didn't add that in this time. I must confess, I did on my last website. The one I had when I owned a business. I told you "I am not a professional."

So, let's get on with it.  I have noticed more and more that trying to catch candid moments was getting difficult with my big cameras. Even with no battery grip and a short lens it was distracting and somewhat of a pain to carry around.  I'm not saying a full frame DSLR has no place in candid/lifestyle photography, but when my family and I are just going for a quick trip down town or a small event it gets a little tiresome to carry the extra weight and people don't seem to act as natural when someone is holding a brick to their face.

My solution...get another camera. A smaller camera, but one that still gives me control over the settings. I picked up an Olympus OM-D E-M10 and a couple lenses.  It's small, lightweight, and looks like a pretty point and shoot.  I still get the "cheese" expression when I'm noticed, but I'm not as noticed. Or maybe my family is being nice and pretending not to notice because I've rambled on about this topic for at least a month.

I can easily do what most everyone else does and use my cell phone. I'm not saying everyone should go out and get a pricey point and shoot or a micro 4/3 (<-----that's what my little camera is). Here's another confession...I suck at cell phone photography. Flat out I am not good at taking photos with my phone and it frustrated me.

What I'm trying to say is, use what you have and "capture life".  Your life, don't go stalking people.  We take more pictures than any other point in time put together. Don't live behind your phone or camera, which is something I need to remind myself of, but don't forget to take the pictures. My kids are getting older and more grown up. My pets won't be with us forever.  Be cheesy, be cliché, be whatever you need to be and make it meaningful. One more thing, PRINT! You'll thank me when you loose all your images when your micro SD card finally fails after being in it's 5th cell phone. Or you can't find that photo you posted on Facebook 3 years ago.