|| why i take photographs ||

why i take photographs

pictures are a way of...

preserving,

of holding on to,

of capturing special moments,

 

of taking in beauty,

and so much more.

exactly 100 years ago, this picture was taken.

to you it may mean nothing,

but to me it means so much.

you see pictured here on the far right

is a young woman...

this woman is my great grandma penzora byrd.

here she poses with her family from the backwoods of north carolina.

i'm not sure where they located a camera.

you have to understand,

their life was simple,

they hardly had a thing,

they were just backwoods people.

people who didn't get birth certificates when they were born.

people who worked their lands for a living.

people who sat on their front porches, listened to frogs peep, watched lightning bugs fly by, and talked with those they loved for entertainment.

people who raised their young ones to do just exactly what they had done for a living.

people who didn't go to school, didn't know how to read or write.

these simple people are my people. and i long to know them and their life, but while i may never know the story behind this photo, or the stories of their life, i'm thankful for this simple picture,

because to me this picture

preserves a moment in time {which would have otherwise probably been forgotten}

gives me something to hold on to {my heritage, and something for me to pass on to my children}

it captures a special moment {these simple people recording their history}

and it displays beauty {the beauty of family}