Photography
Why do we take photos?
I know what you're thinking. To aid our memory and halt time. To tell stories, our stories. To stop the seconds and never become old, so that they remember us when we are not here, or we are not the same. We take photographs because we want to transcend and live the best moments forever. We want to break the laws of physics. We want to increase color, we want to expand black and white, we want to blur, to focus. We want to use filters that deteriorate the image. We want the new to look old and look new. We want to share with our family and friends those trips to which they were not invited, or the photos of the party to which they were invited. We want to upload photos on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, Pinterest, or whatever other social media they will invent. We want to be the rock stars for the next generation. We want to share with the world what our eyes see, and more importantly, we have the privilege of catching everything we experience on camera.
You can see, these days lots and lots of people do like taking photos. From a cup of coffee, a touristic place, or selfies, we could count all of these as photo examples. However, what does a photo mean to us? You would tell me photos are photos, or they are a memory we capture in a photo. It is an unforgettable memory that will be remembered not only by our mind but also by the photo we took. I agree, I would also say, It is time stopped or captured in a photo.
Besides, photos are all over social media. In fact, everything these days is caught on an image and is posted everywhere. It is fantastic to have everything captured in a photo, but I have a few concerns about living in the moment that we are actually living in, or living it through the lens while we are focusing on taking pictures and not living it at all in person.I am not a professional, but a photographer. I take photos because I want to capture the moment, the place, the sensation I feel, and a million more sensitive and thoughtful reasons for why. However, lately, I have been more conscious about if I am living the moment through my camera and just focusing on taking pictures and not living the experience at all, or if I am living the moment with all my senses. The truth is that I have found myself in both scenarios.
I do not want to create this privilege I have of capturing histories, memories, beautiful landscapes, smiles, experiences, etc, through a bad habit. That is why we must be aware of living the experience right then and there and have fun taking memorable photos as well. It is okay if you don't want to take photos, or if you take one, or take a lot while you experience the moment. Let's be more conscious of why we take photos, what is the purpose of taking them, and whether or not we are experiencing the moment itself, a moment that we might not experience again.
Photos are the memory that will last in our computers or social networks rather than the memory that will be created in our minds. Be aware, sometimes we do not live what we live. We photograph it. We go to a performance or concert, and the first thing we take out is our phone. We are the zombies that feed on images that will be downloaded or uploaded, but rarely do we retain the experience in our photographic memory.
It is the experience that we live with all of our senses, that is the one that lasts in our minds forever. You need to close your eyes, and if you truly lived that moment, then you will be transported to that time. Let's not forget that it is not about the camera, it is about the experience and the photographer who makes sure to live it.
We have to stop and ask ourselves: Why do we take photographs? It is the beginning, it is the moment. You can respond in the comments of this post and start the change. Before we drown in the age of Iphonetography