This morning's social media memory recalled that time one year ago when I led a 5 am photography tour in San Francisco with a group of strangers and friends. I was surprised how many people showed up on a dark, chilly morning to practice, encourage and share photography ideas with each other. During the session, one of my co-leaders AJ Canaria took this wonderful shot - and I'm glad it popped back into my sight this morning.
As we walked through the morning fog, I asked one of the participants what they were trying to improve - composition, focus, light, or something else.
"Not exactly any of those," she said.
"Okay, what then?" I asked.
"I want to go beyond taking the popular shots."
"The popular shots?"
"You know, the photos everyone takes," she pointed, "in the places everyone goes. I don't want to be popular as a copy of someone else's vision."
"I understand. You want to start seeing the Good shots," I said.
"The Good shots?" She looked a little confused.
"Have you ever wondered what makes a shot really popular? It's not the iconic scene or well-known location. There's something else that stands out in the image."
"What's that?" she asked.
"There's an old saying," I said, "that nothing so popular as GOODNESS."
In an era where sanctimony, anxiety and acrimony have become easy to see all day, it's hard to believe that the gentle, nice and kind can capture much attention. When it's more likely for vitriol to go viral, how can the polite make its presence known in our feed?
I'd say that's entirely up to me - and YOU.
What our eyes see can nourish or tarnish our sight.
What we capture and share depends upon our insight, too.
Only you can decide if the popular is worth the expense of the Good.
As our conversation wrapped up, we found ourselves standing by a famous mural and wondered if it were too cliche a spot for a picture. If all we wanted was a lot of likes, then a selfie here would suffice.
But what if we learned to temper our vision just a little bit. To look around and seek the better parts of any situation. To compose a picture truly worth a hundred, or a thousand, words. The shot my friend took isn't really about the mural, but the goodness of a moment in which strangers convened early in the morning, sharing, learning and encouraging under the watchful eye of a Master.
I'm glad I'm reminded of this moment today. It reminds me of how important it is to carefully compose my contribution each day. In a conversation. In a class. In an electronic connection.
I believe Bruce Lee once said, "A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough." Perhaps a tempered vision can make the good in each of us popular again.
Now that's a picture worth taking - and sharing!