Life through a camera lens Yvonne Wennerlid  

The more time we invest in the present moment, the more clearly we can see the variations in life. We can adjust our perspective and focus while gathering insights. 

There are many settings on cameras, and when we focus on one thing, that’s where our focus should be. If we adjust our perspective too much, the image becomes blurry, and nothing gets done properly or consistently. Because simply being in the moment and seeing what we can do here and now is crucial. Our routines and habits shape our future, and that is precisely my main focus when it comes to finding a path. We can never walk parallel paths through life. Physically, we can only be in one place at a time, and it’s beneficial to realize this. 

If we go back in time, the camera functioned completely differently, and whatever we wanted to capture, we had to make sure to do what was necessary right there and then. There were many preparations to make: position, eyes, mouth, posture, lighting, placement, and the camera’s height and angle. The countdown began when the photographer focused under the fabric draped over the camera. Making a mistake was rarely an option, since resources were scarcer and not as readily available as they are today. 

So how do we do it today? Photos are taken left and right without much thought. The focus is rarely on where we are, and many people avoid being photographed for one reason or another. A blemish on the face, bad makeup, a bad hair day. Some people take photos of themselves like they’re gurus and think they’re role models, but we choose for ourselves who we might be interested in. The overexposure of ourselves becomes almost pathetic in the end. Taking photos and posting them every day out of fear of being forgotten. Maybe that’s a good thing, because it means people are starting to think for themselves rather than through what some believe to be the best possible parts of life. 

So it’s important that we understand how to use the settings on a camera. Do some reading. Think it over. Reflect—and as a next step, see how we can act. Focus feels like something almost obsolete these days. Everything is done in a hurry, and the lists of what we think we have to get done keep getting longer and longer, even though most of it is just a click away. 

When was the last time you held a real camera in your hand? If you’ve ever done so. My dad loved photography, and he kept taking photos until he was around 70, when his interest began to fade. He even took the time to buy a developing machine, chemicals, jars, bowls, clamps, paper, and everything else needed. Even today, I can still smell the liquid and picture how we moved the paper from one liquid to another. There was no rush—it took time, and that was exactly what was needed to achieve a successful result. 

He had meter after meter of photo albums—real photos—in his bedroom, and when he passed away in the summer of 2025, my sister, my brother, and I went through the photos. Laughter, tears, surprise, insights, understanding, and thoughts took on different forms depending on which photos we saw. Seeing photos of my parents when my mom was pregnant with me was a special feeling. Photos capture moments. I can be part of them even though I was not born yet.  

There’s more than one lens through which to view life and adjust the focus. Night or day. Sports or tiny flowers. And everything in between. We can adjust for a blurred background or sharp clarity, brighter tones, or true-to-life colours. Other features let us see from a distance or almost like a microscope. 

How do we choose to see what we’re looking at? From which angle and with which lens? Where do we place our focus, and how can we zoom in to shield ourselves from other distractions in the moment? 

As you can see, there’s a lot we can relate to when it comes to viewing life through a camera lens or a objective and how we choose to use it. There are different ways because we’re different people with different capacities, abilities, interests, and inclinations. 

It is precisely these aspects—capacities, abilities, interests, and inclinations—that carry significant weight in life. Through which lens and which objective are they shaped? How are they shaped? And the next question is how they influence us in life. By trying new things and viewing situations through different lenses, we can gain clarity on what lies beneath and equip ourselves with knowledge for the future. 

Hiding behind blinders to avoid seeing that you don’t know everything is another way of approaching life. “Approaching” is probably a bit of a misnomer in this particular context, because approaching something requires more effort—and that’s hardly done if you always use the same lens. Ultimately, development stagnates, you fail to see what’s happening around you, and bitterness grows. 

In the past, few people could afford a camera, and it was considered a special privilege to capture moments. It was about being present where things were happening. There were rarely many distractions, unlike today. Now everyone has access to a camera through their phone. A phone is no longer just a phone; it has become an extra body part that few believe they can live without. So, does this mean we’re not living in the moment or are truly present? 

I had three uncles, and they all owned their own cameras. My dad developed an interest in cameras and photography thanks to his brothers, who were a couple of years older. They worked hard to save up for a camera, and they chose their photos with great care. Today, a phone can hold tons of photos that are probably just sitting there, never looked at. Many people think they’ll look at them sometime in the future, but that’s rarely the case. That’s why I prefer the approach my uncles and my dad took—they chose their photos with care. 

Capacities and experimentation are what lead to the ability to see what we can do with and in life. These abilities come from reflecting and taking things in. We think we’re certain about our interests, but even they shift throughout life. At least for many people—though there are those who believe they’ll lose their identity if they change their interests and feel lost in their own thoughts. Natural inclinations are probably what come most naturally—not something that’s learned or directly imposed by society itself. 

What conclusion do I want to draw from this? There are actually many, but I’ll leave it up to the reader to start thinking about which lens—or objective—they choose to view life through. How can that change? It happens by making active choices to rethink and reevaluate how one approaches life.