How to Capture the Essence Of Friendship

Yesterday I had a delightful day with friends that I had not seen in over a year. In fact, the last time I was with them was the week before the Pandemic shut everything down. As we did a year ago, we met at Biltmore and walked the grounds together enjoying the beautiful flowers and spring weather. Later we sat together in a restaurant and enjoyed a meal together. They, too, have been fully vaccinated, and, while there were occasional references to what we had done and how Covid had impacted our lives for the last year, it was as though none of that had really happened. We just seemed to pick up where we had left off a year ago. Sadly, one thing they shared with me was the recent death from Covid of an especially dear friend to whose funeral they would be going soon. They were remembering their last time with this friend and how special that week-end last fall had been to them. So it was natural to want to share pictures with me of that friend and that week-end. That makes me think about the power of photography to do more than just create pictures of beautiful and interesting places and things. It also links people. That probably seems like a pretty obvious statement, but I think it is something about which I need to remind myself, especially since I don't like having my picture taken. Maybe I need to rethink that because someday I may want to sit down and spend time thinking about the special people that have come and gone in my life and remember some of the special times we have had together. Maybe I shouldn't mind so much those group pictures that there is often someone wanting to get at gatherings. Someday those may be all that I have left that will bring back the essence of what we friends and family had once shared together at a special time and place. We didn't think to take pictures of ourselves yesterday, though with all three of us armed with smartphone cameras, we certainly could have. Today's picture of pansies made me think of getting ready to take group shots, trying to line up a gaggle of friends, many looking in different directions and not at the camera, some (often me) with their eyes closed, and the few who are always ready and willing to be on the front row and in focus with smiles on their faces.