It seems like anyone can be a photographer today. There was a time when you were limited to costly film and developing images in a dark room. Now, with digital photography and instant sharing, almost every moment is a chance to take a photo.

With over two trillion photos taken yearly, the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words,” is misleading – when almost everyone has another two trillion to shoot, share, and forget.

Photographer Dixie Langreck wanted an image people couldn’t forget. When she visited her grandmother Elizabeth Canfield, she had an opportunity. But, Grandma Canfield despised getting her picture taken, and would avoid anyone with a camera. For Dixie, the reason why grandma avoided the camera, was the reason she loved her.

“I just looked at her skin and it looked like paper; it was so beautiful,” says Langreck. “Part of what makes me not afraid, as far as getting old . . . I would look at her and see all this, and it sounds cliche, but she earned all that.”

Even with over twenty years of photography experience, Dixie was nervous. She only had one chance to take the photo, in less than 10 seconds she recalls. Going over to grandma’s house with other family members, Dixie just waited for the right moment.

“We were in her kitchen,” says Langreck. “I was across the room from her and I had my camera. I knew she won’t pose for me. So, I just snapped a shot.”

That should have been that. The photo was taken, grandma didn’t know, and no one was the wiser. But, a lot of people liked the photo. More than just family members, strangers liked it too. Dixie was getting so many compliments that she entered into an art exhibition. You know what, it got in. Now, Dixie had to tell grandma.

“When I told her, I approached it as ‘Grandma, here’s what happened: I took this shot. You didn’t know about it. You asked me. I said I didn’t. But I did,’” says Langreck.  “But, it’s a beautiful, beautiful picture and got into this big art show.”

You have to know this about Grandma Canfield: she was modest. Growing up during the Great Depression and living in the house she was born in, she didn’t need much. She never wasted anything. She never took things for granted. And as Dixie remembers, she never forgot her family.

“On her calendar, you would always get a birthday card from grandma. Always,” says Langreck. “When you start to look at the scope of how many people this entailed and how it grew and grew . . . she was sending out a birthday card every third day.”

Not long after the picture was taken, Elizabeth Canfield passed away at the age of 98. Among the trillions of photos taken every year, Dixie’s photo reminds us how one moment is worth remembering.