Fragments of Time
Last Tuesday was my niece's 15th birthday. I wanted to post a photo of her together with my wishes on Facebook, so I scrolled through the family albums I have complied all these years.
As I swiped through my display, I realized how my visual style has changed through time. I never really paid much attention to it, because, well, I just love taking pictures! (Who cares about visual style! :) ...well now I do - thanks NYIP!)
That sense of 'awareness' got into my head. But what got through my heart was-- the subjects of the photos I have taken have changed through the years as well.
Suddenly, I was looking at a 'documentary' of our lives...
...on how relationships began and flourished,
...and how they drifted away.
...on the frowns that turned into smiles,
...and smiles that turned into silent cries.
...the little things, simple joys of growing up, ...birthdays, missing a tooth, insect bites. ...the many firsts and the big leaps, ...growing together in the midst of all the struggles. ...the bitter endings and new beginnings, ...the new 'hellos' and eternal 'goodbyes'.
I stared at the thumbnails of years in front of me, holding my tears back, overwhelmed, feeling bitter-sweet. Change is truly inevitable, but I am thankful I have these frozen fragments of time, of moments, telling me that once in my life, I became part of that reality and that reality will always be a part of me. Photography can never bring back our loved ones who passed away like our dear Lola Elena...It can't reverse the hands of time and restore the fading memories of our Nanay Mameng or keep my nephews and nieces from growing up, or keep my parents from growing older. It can't undo the choices that we've made and save us from our destructive addictions and circumstances. It's only probably in movies that old photographs could mend broken relationships...It can't change what has happened, but it's a proof of our existence, of how beautifully complicated human life is, and of how equally beautiful and powerful we are, to change our life's stories because we are the subjects, the models, - the STARS of our own photo shoot.
Photography captures the moments, we create them. So what's your next 'photo shoot theme' going to be like?
