In each photo, just a moment – perhaps less than a second – is captured. In viewing these photos, as well as all amazing photos, I wonder what the story is behind that moment. What happened just before, or just after? How did the photographer arrive at that spot, at that time? How long did they wait to witness and record?

It may seem as if, in comparison to these amazing photographs, our own wanderings don’t seem as special. Award-winning photos, nature documentaries, videos, and adventure stories of all kinds lay at our fingertips in this digitally accessible world. What is a squirrel or deer compared to an octopus or cheetah? Do we see and hear of other’s experiences and walk away feeling disappointed in our ordinary walks in the woods? Do we expect to go out for a mid-day hike and see a family of bears, or a rare bird just around the corner?

Sometimes witnessing extraordinary moments is easy and happens in our everyday comings and goings. On a trip to the grocery store, you glance up and there’s a rainbow. Or you look out of the car window at the exact second a hawk is flying down to catch something in the field. And sometimes you can capture that moment on camera in a decent image.

For the most part you have to get out there, into the world, often, to see these things. But amazing doesn’t happen every time. I remember a walk where we just happened upon a litter of Red Fox kits playing among the leaves, rocks, and logs. But at the time I was walking this path at least twice a week. There are countless walks in which I did not return with a good nature story (and slightly blurry, far-away cell phone video) to share.

Photo by Katie Finch An extraordinary sky on an ordinary day.

In addition, to witness and capture those remarkable moments, hard work is often required. A great deal of time goes into taking remarkable photos, videos, and recording those stories. And that’s what we don’t see in a photo. We see the snapshot of a moment, the best video footage, the cleaned up, edited story. Not the effort to learn the skills needed to capture the moment. We do not see all the unexciting time spent waiting for the moment.

However, just because we do not want to or are not able to develop the skills and put in a lot of time, it does not mean our experiences are any less worthy. Witnessing the sunset from our backyard, the just-right light on the maple tree next to the garage or documenting how our garden grows and changes is just as special because they happen to us. They are real experiences that grow in our mind, our bodies, our souls. They deepen our connection to the natural world directly around us. Whether we capture it on camera and share it or choose to keep it to ourselves.

Life is made up of a bunch of ordinary, everyday moments. And these ordinary moments can become extraordinary based on our perspective. We can approach the world with an attitude where nothing is new, where only the rare and shocking things have value, and the everyday is boring. Or we can approach the world every day with a sense of curiosity and wonder. What are all the things that had to happen for this seed to fall in this place to grow into this tree? How exactly did we arrive in this place to be able to watch this sunset?

Albert Einstein is credited with saying, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

I think we, as humans, are compelled to capture moments in nature to tell the story of this amazing world and to share it with others. And I’m glad that so many people choose to. As award-winning photographers and as everyday snapshots and stories told to friends. As viewers we can use them, not as a set of expectations about what we “should” see but as inspiration to go out and have our own experiences too. Wherever we are. Close to home or far away. Ordinary or extraordinary. Captured on a camera or in our memory. Just get out there in the way you are able.

Audubon Community Nature Center builds and nurtures connections between people and nature. ACNC is located just east of Route 62 between Warren and Jamestown. The trails are open from dawn to dusk and birds of prey can be viewed anytime the trails are open. The Nature Center is open from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. daily except Sunday when it opens at 1 p.m. More information can be found online at auduboncnc.org or by calling (716) 569-2345.

Katie Finch is the Visitor Experience Director at Audubon.