Something I know I can’t live without is a camera. Whether it’s my Nikon or phone, I always want to capture the moment I’m in, simply because I know I won’t ever be in it again.
A while back, I came across a quote that said: If you want to learn what someone fears losing, watch what they photograph. It got me thinking that photography isn’t just a picture, but an instinct derived from the fear of losing a moment, and especially the feeling that came with it.
We are so fortunate to have this technology that allows us to freeze all types of life moments in time. As humans, we have this programmed impulse to save our memories. We photograph to document. We want to remember what’s happened in our past, whether it’s good or bad. We live in this notion that the past is what has made us who we are, and is always going to be a part of us. A photograph of those precious little moments in time are basically all we have left of what used to be.
Think about all of the things we have because of photography and videography. We use it and publish it in all kinds of forms of works—magazines, books, movies, or art. We are constantly expressing ourselves through this technology and it’s truly powerful. It can even take us to places we've never been.
The language a camera speaks is as intimate as the photographer’s. All of our memories harbor masses of emotions: happiness, sorrow, fear, wonder.
All of the photography we’ve accumulated over the years, as well as what we haven’t, will always feel like the connecting pieces of the jigsaw puzzle of our lives. The memory cards in our cameras will never be like the ones in our brains, but it’s the closest thing we have to it.
Sometimes, I’ll look at a photograph of me as a younger child and get upset that I can’t remember the specific moment in time. But it fascinates me even more at that point. That little girl in the photo really was me at one point in time. I was once that small, naïve little girl, who didn’t have a clue about the world. Still kind of don’t.
Photos have the power to move us, whether it’s to laughs or tears. There will come a time in one’s life where the things they documented hold almost too powerful. Some people burn old photos in an attempt to forget about whatever it is that’s breaking them.
There are some days that we wish we could remember everything about, and there are others where we wish we could erase completely. When you look at pictures of people, places, or things that once were, there is this emptiness inside of you that is sitting right before your eyes. Yet, sometimes grief is the only thing that helps you get back to a neutral state.
I’m all for living in the moment, especially without a phone in hand, but don’t forget about the amazing advantages that photography has made for us. Keep in mind that someday, you’re going to want to be able to see and share with others chunks of what you used to be, and what you used to feel.
