I often have to reel myself in with my camera, especially when I’m “taking pictures so Olivia will remember it when she’s older.” She’d probably like to remember her mom being fully present in the moment with her rather than having a snappy of what she was doing when she was a kid. As with all things in life, it’s all about balance.

Photographs speak to us. They evoke something within us. When I see a shot like that little boy, I imagine a whole world around him. Jeffrey did, as usual, an amazing job. I can hear the rush of the crowd. I can sense the trust in that little boy, to be so calm with his grandfather. I can see the love and ease with which the grandfather props him up, and I wonder if I was ever like that, so trusting as a child? Or if I will ever be like that, should I be blessed with grandchildren some day. An entire story — created in my mind from one single image.

Perhaps this is why, then, so many of us faux-tographers shoot the beauty or the unexpected in life. We know what it means to us, and we want others to gain the benefit of those feelings. Thank you for your picture (you are too hard on yourself!) of the rainbow.