Monday, October 17, 2011

Cheeeese


Say "cheese." Immediately everyone knows what's happening. Dee has broken out her trusty and I'll admit occasionally bothersome camera. Over the years, I have taken some pretty amazing pictures.....and okay....some duds. But, the best part of photography for me is the memory. I glance at a photo and am instantly transported back in time to that moment when it was taken. Making memories....pretty special, I think. Preserving memories, reminding us of times almost forgotten.....even more special.

Anyone who knows me even slightly knows that I am rarely if ever without my camera. Even for someone who loves the written word as I do, there is just something about a photo. I am apt to pop off that lens cover most anywhere if I see a picture happening and shout the obligatory, "Cheeeeese!".

A professional will admonish that a photographer should never, never say, "Say cheese!" when taking a picture." I beg to differ. And since I am not a professional photographer, in differing I am clearly well within my rights. In the youngest of children, "Say Cheese" or the shortened version "Cheeeeese" or even the new wave "Cheeseburgers" rarely if ever fails to elicit a smile. Kid subjects stop what they are doing, pose, and smile. Candids, maybe not. Precious, perfect, happy smiles worth saving .....almost always.

Even for adults, the slightly silly but effective 'say cheese' wins a smile almost if not every time. Perhaps the famous photo phrase brings back memories of childhoods long since gone. Indeed, it seems almost a universal indicator, an expression familiar enough that it is understood the world over. At Atlantis recently, an Asian woman of apparently very limited understanding of the English language offered in her gestures to take a picture of my family so that the four of us could appear together in one..... indeed a rare occurrence. Her smiling instruction as she snapped the picture.....you guessed it....."Cheeeeeese." I never knew the word has Asian roots....

I wonder why cheese. Seriously, why not bologna or tacos, fries or steak beans or greens. I'll have to check that out. Meanwhile, I'll continue 'bugging' family, friends, and coworkers as my shameless shutterbug gene demands. I'll continue to take pictures I love that remind me of favorite people and places and memories and blogging the stories my photos help tell.

Hmmmm.....almost forgot I ever had curly hair!

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