I should preface this post by saying that I owe this idea to the insanely funny and talented Erin of The Fierce Beagle. If you're not reading her yet, start now. Girlfriend is hi-lar-ious.
A few months ago, Erin left a comment on one of my rather photograph-heavy posts about how awesome it would be to assemble a photo album that consisted solely of photos of us being awesome.
Now, this is not to be confused with photos that are awesome. I'm talking about photos that capture all of our personal Moments of Win. The photo of you crossing the finish line of your first 5k, all red-faced and sweaty. Or that photo of you accepting your degree, where that weird tassel hat is mashing down your hair. Or that totally hot photo of you in your bikini after you worked so hard to lose the last 5 pounds.
Here is an example of a photo that is not a Moment of Win.
A few months ago, Erin left a comment on one of my rather photograph-heavy posts about how awesome it would be to assemble a photo album that consisted solely of photos of us being awesome.
Now, this is not to be confused with photos that are awesome. I'm talking about photos that capture all of our personal Moments of Win. The photo of you crossing the finish line of your first 5k, all red-faced and sweaty. Or that photo of you accepting your degree, where that weird tassel hat is mashing down your hair. Or that totally hot photo of you in your bikini after you worked so hard to lose the last 5 pounds.
Here is an example of a photo that is not a Moment of Win.
This is an (unrealistically) flattering photo that my professional photographer friend Jill took of me. Yes, it is an awesome photo. But it means approximately nothing to me. The Awesome in this photo is a direct result of lighting, photoshop, an expensive camera, makeup and my friend's talent. I just sat there and mooched off all that Awesome.This is a photo of one of my personal Moments of Win:
This is from my three-month trip backpacking around Bolivia and Peru. I reached this tiny village in a van stuffed full of local farmers, hugging the curves of the mountains. We stayed in a run-down hotel, ate lots of Andean cheese and cuddled baby goats with the local kiddos. This photo seriously captures two of my favorite things: travel and baby animals. Moment of Win, indeed!
Here's another Moment of Win. Is this an example of great photography? No. Is this a particularly flattering photo? In answer to that, I point you towards my apparent double chin. But this photo documents one of the best weekends of my life in Taiwan. I spent the weekend with a group of friends at the completely insane YainShui Fireworks Festival. Revelers dress in rain gear, helmets and wet towels and wander the streets having fireworks shot directly at them. Yes. And it was so, so fun.
Don't you want to join in the fun? I've created a Flickr group called, surprisingly, Moments of Win. Join us! Upload photos of your Moments of Win and tell us why this photo means so much to you. And go crazy! Post lots of pictures - I'm sure you have a lot of photographic evidence of The Awesome!
