Look Up, Not Down
I keep catching myself trying to push my shoulders back as I get a glimpse of my slightly hunched over posture in a reflection and I quickly try to adjust. I feel like I’ve tried to make a conscience effort to keep myself from slowly evolving into…well…looking like what we evolved from! I’ve switched from a sitting desk to a standing desk and try to do the basic “posture improving workouts” – still I feel I am doomed.
Last fall I was on a wonderful trip to Switzerland with my Fiancé when we decided to spend a day traveling up to Mt. Pilatus, which is in the middle of the Swiss Alps. It was probably one of my favorite scenic views I have ever seen!
My Instagram: "As a photographer I feel required to capture every scene & moment. To document something I know I'll never see again & feel blessed knowing I can share this gift with others...but sometimes when I lower my camera and look with just my eyes I realize there's truly no way to capture what's happening before me. With very little time on the top of Mt. Pilatus I decided to remember this time differently, but without knowing my Fiancé took this pic of me lowering my camera from my face & what you can't see are my eyes filled with tears."
As a photographer, sometimes I forget to put my camera down and simply enjoy the moment I’m in…a moment that doesn’t need to be captured, just felt. Collin and I tried to cover as much ground as we could in the amount of time we had and by the end of it I realized I had taken hardly any photos. It was like I couldn’t bare to put my camera between my eyes and the true beauty I was seeing. I didn't feel honored enough to capture this place.
When we walked back to the visitor center to catch our sky train back through the clouds, I saw something that blew my mind. I captured two tourists hunched over and looking at their phones & cameras, behind them painted the Swiss Alps in all their glory, and they remained unfazed.
It wasn’t until later I realized the irony of this image and the scary reality of this world. It wasn't until looking at this I realized why my shoulders are hunched forward. I'm too am often looking down, only remembering life from what's in my hands and forgetting to look up.
-Tara
TARA SHUPE
Tara Shupe is a Humanitarian Photographer and Video Storyteller, constantly traveling with a camera attached to the hip and a notebook in her pocket. With over 10 years of experience in the field, Tara approaches each story intimately with a hope for inspiring others to think beyond their comfort zone.
