Memories & Photographs & Time
I recently needed an archived photo for a project. And, opening my old Lightroom catalog, a series of images caught my attention. Oh, yes, that evening by Lake Tahoe. When the kids clambered on giant boulders as clouds swept across the sky. And we stayed for the sunset as colors painted poetry across the sky.
In that moment, a flood of memories washed over me. Yes, the sky was amazing, and the colors inspiring, but I also remember how the kids explored and told me what they saw while standing on tall rocks. I remember the light from the setting sun making everything glow.
Photos have that unique super-power, to unlock the shadowy corners of our memories and bring them back in fresh, sparkling detail. My archives are a wonderful rabbit hole to fall into remembering past adventures. And the kids look so small! It happens fast, believe me.
And then the fresh wonder to see the world on that day at that time. To see a magical landscape and know that we stood there in that exact moment. And that magic happens around us all the time. Seeing photographs awakens me to the wonders of the natural world again and again and again.
A tip for travelers photographing sunsets anywhere- stay after the sun actually goes down. That moment when the sun dips below the horizon seems like the end of epic photos, but stick around for awhile longer. After the sun disappears, it drops a little lower and throws light up on clouds from below the horizon-line. This gives those lovely skyskapes where the sky looks painted with colors.
To the best of my recollection, we were at Zephyr Cove on the south side of the lake. This is where you can watch the sunset over the lake. I believe that the coastline changed in summers after this summer. My memories are not perfect (thus the importance of photos) but I believe this was a low-water year. We have since visited where the water was right up to the forest and we body surfed in waves. Nature (like our families) is always changing.
Remember with photos that matter :)
