The power of a photograph

It doesn't matter where its taken. It doesn't matter who it is of. Absolutely of no importance if you know the people or if you have been to the place. Sometimes a photo will just hit you as "special". It can be a landscape, a portrait, an animal. Doesn't matter. Sometimes you see a photo and you can't stop looking at it. I have a few of these in my collection. I love them. They mean something to me and I hope they invoke feeling in someone else too. Maybe I will share a few. Recently, by chance, I have come across a few articles on the web that talk about the power of a picture. Each article talked about a different feeling from each photo in question.  One man was excited to have pictures at all because he lost his wife in 9-11 2weeks after they got married. Wow. The pictures of his wife in their wedding meant a lot to him now. Another article I read was from a famous photographer that took pictures of his kids and how much it meant to him to take a particular photo of them in a special moment. Unbelievable. All it takes is one picture to remember what you were doing exactly at that moment and who you were with. Photos mean so much to so many people. We tend to forget that sometimes. It doesn't matter if the picture is "edited" or "developed" right. If it is important to you then it is important. Lets take a little time to remember that having photos taken aren't that "nagging thing you do at family functions" or that "annoying thing you do every year (if you're lucky) with your family so you have a new picture to hang up in your hallway. Each picture is a moment in time and I wish I could document every single one of them in my life. Ok...maybe not EVERY one- but close. How many times have you seen something and wish you could have "gotten a picture of that"? I do that at least ten times a day. Unfortunately I tend to never have my camera at those moments. I try to cherish the moments I do get on film and just try to do it as often as I can. What about you? When was the last time you had your photo taken? When was the last time you took a photo of someone you loved? Don't worry if it is not a great photo, don't stress over composition or location. The importance of the photo means more then just what you see...