There are so many moments in life that will pass us by and we'll not give much thought about it until much later in life. As a kid, my dad would bring his video camera around to every family holiday gathering, birthdays, and vacations. When I was nine years old, my parents took myself, my brother, and sister to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida for the very first time.
The first park we went to was Epcot Center. This was my first experience of a Disney Park and I think that's why Epcot Center is still to this day, my favorite park to visit. It was hot, we waited in super long lines for rides, and us kids definitely complained a lot, giving our mom and dad a hard time. But hey, we were kids, that was our job, right? We just wanted to have fun without the wait.
This day was something extra special though. While taking a short break in the Florida heat, we all got our own treats. Of course I got myself a soda, while everyone else got ice cream, typical David.
During this time, I sorta walked away a few steps, just looking around, and I came accross "The Perfect Picture." This absolutely may have been the very moment I stepped into the photography world and set up my future as a photographer. I remember framing the photo with my view, right through my big 1980's glasses, and proclaiming...."it's the perfect picture!"
As you'll hear in the video clip, I had a bit of a speech impediment when I was young, and couldn't pronounce my "R's." I mean, sure as a kid I had to go to speech therapy and was a little self-conscious about it, but now I look back upon it and it just adds to the charm of the moment.
Years went by, I still took pictures, mostly with my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 110 film camera, and although it was just for fun, I would have never imagined it would lead to this moment in my life and career.
I am truly grateful for my parents capturing this moment and so many others for my brother, sister, and I. They have helped secure a moment in time that is extremely important to me, and everytime I watch it, I can't help but smile and think of all the little moments in my life that have shaped me to who I am today.
Never stop looking for that "Perfect Picture." You may never know what when it will happen, or what it will mean, so live in the moments we have now and capture it, the future will thank you.