What is the best way to capture the beauty of our world?
A camera.
Ever since I got instagram, I was a huge fan of photography. I felt like some people underestimate the power of photography. Well actually, when I first got instagram, I didn’t know what I wanted to post. I didn’t want to post pictures of myself because that was really weird to me.
This past summer, I went to a youth conference called Steubenville (for those who didn’t know, I am catholic) and it was definitely different. That Saturday, I went to the priest and did my confession. As soon as I sat down, he asked me a very interesting question, something that no one has asked me before. It was “why do you have two cameras?” I find that so interesting because he was actually the first person who realized that I’ve got two cameras and was genuinely interested and curious. I told him that I like taking pictures but he kept asking me “but why?” I finally gave in and told him that it was because I like taking raw pictures, no filters or any edits. I want to use my non existing skills and remind people that there’s a certain beauty in each picture and we don’t need multiple editing apps to make it pretty. Why do that when it’s already beautiful? The most simplest picture is the best kind of picture. It’s like our life… Why are we constantly trying to cover up our flaws when we don’t have to? We are all beautiful and amazing and sometimes, we forget about that. I use three cameras: my phone, my canon rebel t5 and my canon m100 in hopes to remind others that by using different forms and types of cameras, you’ll see different angles of the same picture. It’s like our life, we have to see things in different angles in order to see the full picture. We can’t just look at it in the same lens in every single situation because it doesn’t work like that. We won’t grow or learn. We’ll be so close-minded and withdraw from the society and we’ll be bias in certain situations.
Now take a moment and think about your social media accounts, whether it’s instagram, twitter, snapchat, facebook, etc. What do you post? What do you reveal to the world of social media?
We try so hard to edit our photos and making sure that it looks “good” on our feed or on our account that we lose our real identity with it. (maybe or maybe not?) We forget about the beauty of the pictures and we would always try to cover up our flaws. We post because we want to show our best self out in the world but why? I remember I was obsessed with the likes and followers because I felt like those numbers were a reflection of who I was. It was like some sort of database that gave me a sense of what kind of person I should be or what content I should post. I forgot my purpose of posting. Are you posting for yourself or for others? Are you trying to make certain people jealous of what you have or what you did? Or are you posting because you want to share what you did with everyone in hopes to spread whatever you’re trying to spread? What are your real intentions of posting? I think there are times we forget about that, well for me, I know I do. Sometimes I just post because it goes along with my feed but it has no meaning to it which is not a bad thing but it’s not a good thing either. I think the best way to think about it is, post because you want to post and not care about what people think about it. We always put out what makes us look the best and that’s fine but don’t lose yourself and remember who you are. Does your feed represent or define you? Does it shout you or are you trying to create some sort of mirage of who you are?
What’s the point of a spam account? I find that a little ironic that I ask this question because I also have another account which is called heidikamspam but it’s not a spam account for me. Think of it as a diary but a social media diary. Recall that I like pictures and words because together, they bring out a strong message. To me, this account is a way for me to express what I see daily and to voice out what I want to voice out and to show what I want to show to others but most importantly, to myself. Sometimes, I look back at my older posts and I reread my long captions and reflect about that day. I made this account not for others but for myself. It keeps me on track on how I’m acting towards others, if I’m nice and polite or the opposite. It helps me reflect on my actions and develop as a person. Now for others who actually have a spam account, can you post what you post on your spam account to your main one? Why and why not? Why do people feel the need that they can only post ugly pictures or selfies on their spam but not on their main? Because we all have this perspective that we can only show others our positive and luxurious things on our main account which probably have a lot of followers and likes. So are we looking for more attention? Is it a way to make us feel good inside? You might ask, “well you have an another account so what are you really saying?” and you’re right I did make an another account. I’m not afraid to admit that I made an another account because I’m scared that people are going to find it annoying if I post every single day or every other day, that’s why I made the other account. This other account is for people who want to know more about me and see how I’m doing. But I stay true to both of my accounts.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe there’s a certain beauty about social media. It's a great way to connect with others and to promote healthy, positive messages. Sadly, social media has created jealous behaviour over illusions and some are envious of things, relationship and lifestyles that don't even exists.
That’s the scariest thing about social media because social media gives us a false sense of what we should be doing and portraying unrealistic lifestyles. What is on social media, don’t let it define you or make you do something you’re unwilling to do. Don’t feel like you need to do something to prove yourself. Don’t let social media control you and consume you. Find the balance.
“Photographs open doors into the past, but they also allow a look into the future”
- Sally Mann
Lots of Love,
Heidi 💜💜
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