Pictures Cannot Describe

Cameras are a wonderful thing. We can capture so much of our experiences through snapping a photo here and there. That gives us something that we will always remember and is often a window through which we can share our experiences with others.

But there is much cameras cannot capture.

I learned that, especially, on a trip to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Hilton Head is an island that has been as protected as possible from development. That's not to say that trees have not been cleared or that nature has not been displaced. That has happened. But the original developers had a mission that they would leave the land as undisturbed as possible. And that mission continues today.

The result is a place that is as ecologically-sound as possible. That also means the place is beautiful. I found that snapping pictures simply did not do the place justice. I felt as if I were literally staying in a forest. But I could not describe it, with pictures. You simply have to experience it.

When that is the case, we should take some pictures to help us remember the place. But we should not spend all of our time to trying to capture the essence the place. We need to enjoy the time we have there. And that is, really, a lesson for all of our travels. We do not need to spend so much time and energy attempting to capture our experiences on film that we miss out on actually experiencing what it is that we are trying to enjoy.

A key is what you do when you first come upon a site, an attraction, or something that is worth seeing or experiencing. If your first reaction is to get some great pictures of it, then to spend some time trying to experience what it is you have come to see, that's not good. On the other hand, if try to experience it and enjoy it, then take a little time to try to capture it on film, then move on, that's the way to do it. I have found myself too often trying to do the former rather than the latter. When I do that, I rob myself of the joy of experiencing something new and the thrill of surprise when what you have come to see is different than what you expected.

Hilton Head helped me learn to fully take new experiences and surroundings in and, then and only then, to concern myself with capturing it on film because pictures simply did not do the place justice. I did, however, get a few very interested, and good, pictures in, such as this one:

And, by the way, seeing the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean is spectacular.