Today, I Am Happy
MARCH 2021 ● JOURNAL
Not too long ago, I shared an image I had taken with my Bronica ETRSi on Instagram. Later that day, I received a message from someone in Italy. It's worth noting that my grandparents on my dad's side of the family immigrated to America when they were 18 and 21. And while my dad's first language was Italian, it unfortunately wasn't passed down to me. So, even though my name sounds Italian as hell and I grew up surrounded by Italian culture, I had to translate this message to figure out why this stranger had reached out to me. He basically said, "Hi, sorry, but could I post your picture of the basketball hoop on my story? It's beautiful." Now, I didn't think the picture was anything too groundbreaking or particularly "breathtaking" - I've certainly taken more inspired or clever shots, but I learned something moments later. After replying to the man and letting him know that yes, of course that's OK, I viewed his story.
I can't recall exactly what he had typed out below my capture, but he expressed his love for the photograph and continued on to say something along the lines of, "I'm a simple man - it doesn't take much to make me happy. Today, I am happy."
For the longest time, I've always just sought out to shoot photos of things I find interesting or cool, things that get me excited. This is what I still do, but in this moment I realized that my work had impacted someone else's day in a positive way. I know nothing about this man, but the sincerity in his tone and the tenderness in which he reached out had an impact on me - I felt grateful for his kind words and was quite surprised that such a simple photograph had brought such genuine comfort to someone I had never met. I think about this now whenever I press the shutter button on my camera. Something as simple as a photograph of an old basketball hoop can bring a smile to a stranger's face and make them feel better about the day ahead of them. Photography is a universal form of communication that connects us all.