Above my bed, along the wall of my college dorm room, is where nearly a hundred 5x5 prints reside, taped neatly to the bland white surfaces. As the last things I see before going to bed, and the first images I lay my eyes on when I wake up, these photographs have come to hold an irreplaceable place in my heart. In fact, I would dare to say that these pictures are the most valuable items I brought with me to college.
I have always considered myself a rather nostalgic individual, so it is no surprise that upon submitting my place deposit and committing to attending the University of Michigan, I almost immediately began reminiscing about high school and the life I was about to leave behind. I spent the remainder of that summer driving around and photographing the world I had come to know so well. I spent my time committing each and every little detail to memory and capturing the most important moments with the lens of my camera.
Having taken photography for all four years of my high school career, I was no stranger to the power of this art form. I knew just how influential and vocal a photo could be. A picture is truly worth a thousand words, if not more.
Over the summer, I did my best to memorize every single moment, to make the most of the time I had left in high school, with the friends and family I was about to leave behind—at least for a little while. I took pictures of everyone and everything.
At the time, I was terrified--not so much of the change to come, but of the frightening concept of forgetting the world I had to leave, and of, in turn, being forgotten myself.
But that never happened. Of course, I couldn’t actually bring my friends and family with me to school, but the power of modern technology has allowed me to bring the next best thing: photographs. The images placed so meticulously on the walls of my dorm are so valuable to me because they represent memories. They are moments: frozen, captured, and documented by the lens of my camera.
Photography gives us the power to freeze the moments that mean the most to us, and to keep them with us at all times. Not only that, but they are devices we can use to share our memories with others. Pictures are an extension of memory; they are essentially reminders of the past, documented in physical form.
The photographs on my wall are what keep me grounded. I genuinely believe that the smiling faces of my friends and family have helped me to survive my freshman year in ways I cannot even comprehend. These images taught me that change is okay. They taught me that I can keep moving forward toward the future without leaving the past behind. They showed me the infinite capacity of memory.
So, when you’re out having fun with your friends and family, remember to take a moment to click pause and take a picture. I’m not saying you have to waste your time taking a million photos. Just remember to capture the moment. Remember to keep the memory close. Remember to remember.
