My pursuit of photography has revealed many life lessons.  Be prepared, be present, observe, listen, practice, you can't control the outcome only the opportunity...these principles are what have been imprinted in me as I have immersed myself into photography and they have in turn left an imprint in my life perspective. 

This revealing self-observation leads me to a small personal confession...I'm tone deaf and have the grace and rhythm of a burlap sack.  In reality, if you ever heard me sing or watched me dance you would already know that.  In most circumstances, these deficits could be overlooked provided I stay away from singing in public and all situations that involve me stepping onto the dance floor.  So, why is this pertinent to my photography pursuits and how is this relevant in my life? 

First for the pertinence:  Of late, I have been favoring the moment more than the technique to capture it.  I spend more time in observation with my naked eye watching scenery unfold as opposed to viewing behind the lens and fussing with exposure settings.  Granted, this doesn't bode well for my advancement in photography, but it has become my preference when seeing God's creations and wanting the purest connection to the experience.  For me it comes down to, as an example, the difference between viewing an amazing concert or theatrical production live in person versus watching a video or television presentation of the same event.  So lately I snap a few shots and try to capture the moment, but my focus and energy are on the reality of what I am blessed to see live without the "obstruction" of a camera.  In reviewing my photographic images, I have been much more entranced by the reflection of the moment as opposed to the "correctness"of the photo. 

Now for the relevance:  My precious youngest daughter was married a couple Saturdays ago, and while a few traditional items were discarded for her big day, the father/daughter dance was not one of them.  So as she asked me to join here in this key ceremonial passage, I was both honored and horrified.  I immediately began to calculate how many would actually be attending the reception, of course hoping for a small crowd to limit the number of people I would expose to my, shall we say, creative dancing skills.  As I thought through the honor of being asked by my daughter to join her in "the dance", I began to feel a small sense of relief as I realized that most father/daughter dances were slow and traditional.  This meant that if I could slowly move in a circle without tripping over myself or my daughter, I would be just fine.  That comforting thought only lasted a moment as my daughter shared with me what she had picked out...an up beat song by Paul Simon.  It is a beautiful piece that speaks to the heart of my relationship with my daughter, but is awkwardly in that space between fast and slow.  So here's the life lesson...that moment on the dance floor was one of most rewarding and special shared experiences I have had with my daughter.  Words cannot express the pride and sense of joy I felt for her and the life she was about to begin with her new husband.  As for the dance...my guess is that we were off beat and not on tempo, but there has never been a more important moment for a father to share with his daughter. The grace and beauty of the moment far exceeded the grace of our movement and created a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life. 

The lesson for me is that in photography and in life, I will favor God's gift of the experience over the manufactured reproduction of the image. As it relates to the dance, every step taken between a father and a daughter together in unison represents a loving bond that is immeasurable by standards of beat and rhythm.