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.
I still hold on to the belief that there is more good in this world than it’s always easy to believe at times.
From global communities rallying to save an endangered species, to hot tea and laughter being shared in places where even the simplest resources are scarce…