Timelapse introduces the importance of the moment.

As my first inaugural post on the shiny new migrated website (which looks a LOT better now, and I really, really like the fact I could finally change the layout) I'm going to show you a little project I was working on.
Initially I had started it thinking it would be really cool to watch the massive amount of snow melt in our backyard, but when it was compiled I realized that it did something much more than that. It actually documented everything in the frame.
Well duh, you say. It's a camera, and they kind of ~do~ that.
The point is that I didn't realize that. I didn't realize that when I went to take a picture of the snow, I was capturing the entire day in slow motion. I wasn't capable of imagining everything that would be in the frame, and this emphasizes two things. That I am not being mindful of my environment and I am most definitely NOT in the moment, and that I've found a way to appreciate the slow passage of time and remind myself of how precious each moment is.
In looking at the time lapse I created, I did see the disappearing snow. I also saw the shifting clouds overhead, the shift from sunshine to clouds and back again. At the end there was even the passage of a plane with its lights on in the background that I caught a few moments of. In looking over the project I realized exactly how much of my life passed in between each of those photos I took, and how precious the time was. It brought to the forefront the scattered nature of consciousness today, and how my own has become graphically fragmented even as I'm striving to simply swing from moment to moment... literally. I want to do it simply, with awareness and presence of mind for each one as best as I can.
I started another project today when I would be far less interrupted by doctor's appointments and lunch with Bob and grocery shopping so the shot would be more cohesive. If there was any significant melt, it would be more obvious. But once again I think the shadow will dominate the image. That's fine, as the point now is to simply catch whatever has been going on. There's something about seeing an entire day compressed in to a few moments that seems magical. I look forward to seeing its results once this is finished and compressed as well. I always love seeing the small movements I missed and never saw in the grass, the trees, the land and the sky because I was too focused on getting what was through the lens. It teaches me a lesson each time I watch it again.
Behold for yourself, see if you derive anything from it as well:

Melting Winter 2 from Helen on Vimeo.