20. ƒ/8 and Be There.

Today is 20 days from the first anniversary of Dad’s passing. I’ve committed to writing 40 stories about him as that day approaches. Forty Steady Stories.

Dad carried a camera just about everywhere he went. He truly loved everything about photography, and he kept learning about it until he could no longer hold the camera. He was constantly looking at new equipment as the technology changed. And let me just say, the hand-me-downs in this department have been outstanding. :)

Photography literally means "light writing." Dad taught me how to live life and how to write with light along the way. Part of the reason for these stories is a thank you to him for passing the torch on to me and our whole family. He taught me so much about how to take pictures and how to capture ordinary moments and create memories for people — like the one above when I captured him walking in the morning light. It’s one of my favorite pictures I’ve ever taken because it illustrates the principle below.

When I was a kid, my dad told me about a famous photographer who was asked, “What's the secret to taking great pictures?" The man simply replied, “ƒ/8 and be there." ƒ/8 is a middle-of-the-road setting for the aperture, which controls the amount of light that creates the image. Granted, this was in the days before iPhones and automatic cameras, but the principle still works. Here’s why…

The photographer's point was that "being there" is the most important thing for a great picture. Equipment, expertise, and exposure play their parts, but great pictures are born from being present in the moment. In other words, if you see an incredible sunset in Maine or a double rainbow in the Yadkin River valley, don't worry about fancy camera settings, just set your camera on ƒ/8 and BE THERE to take the picture!

Dad wasn’t just an ƒ/8 and be there kind of photographer; it was the way he lived his life. The thing about Dad was this: if he made a commitment to be somewhere for something or someone, almost nothing could keep him from being there. He was there for our family — always. He was there for the people who worked at the company. He was there for the organizations he supported. He was a great example for me and countless others on what it means to be present when you promise to do so.

When we lived in Richmond about 20 years ago, my license plate was “F8 BTHER”. A guy who worked in my building asked me what it meant, and I explained the phrase to him. He said, “I like that. It's like Woody Allen's quote that 80% of life is just showing up.”

Reflecting on his comment later, though, I realized that “ƒ/8 and be there” is more than the Woody Allen quote, because we can show up places and not really be there. Smartphones have contributed to many missed moments when people were showing up without really being there. I’ve done that. Maybe you have, too.

As a parent, spouse, and friend, I’m tempted to just show up sometimes—preoccupied with something else I need to be doing or somewhere else I need to be. One of the great temptations in life is to lament lost moments while missing the ones right in front of our noses. FOMO — the Fear Of Missing Out.

Maybe today needs to be an ƒ/8 day for you. Set your heart and mind on it. And whomever you are with and wherever you are. . . be there. Even if that means putting down your phone or computer, like RIGHT NOW, and being there for someone.

ƒ/8 and be there isn't just for photographers. It's for people like you and me who need to simplify sometimes and just "be there"—for our family, friends, and those who are looking for a clearer picture of the God who loves them and knows their name.

When I’m all growed up, I hope that my kids will look back on my life and see the marks of God in the same way that I saw God at work in the life of the man who taught me the value of taking pictures and of simply "being there."

Walk on Dad. Snap that shutter. I can’t even imagine what you are seeing through your lens in the place you are now. Amen.