We human beings are emotional. Life brings out the best and the worst in us. And all of that comes out through emotions. Photographs are the best way to capture these emotions. And as soon as emotions are captured in a photograph, they become memories. In fact, some of our best memories come from photographs.
The photographs make us stop and reflect on those moments that we have already lived. They make us nostalgic and emotional, all at the same time. Birthday parties, weddings, family Christmas, baby showers, anniversaries, natural disasters, etc. whatever the occasion, photos capture them in all their glory. They give us the opportunity to analyze how our lives have changed or stayed the same. We can look at our life through them more carefully because they force us to focus on a certain moment.
It is often said that a camera lies. But that’s not true. Every moment captured on camera once existed. Otherwise, how would he have captured. But, don’t shy away from the fact that a camera can interpret. The composition, the lighting, the angles, everything can be interpreted. But therein lies the beauty of photography and also its power. It’s not exact but it’s real. A photo can inspire some, change the opinion of some and shake the ideals of some, it can educate and inspire action, etc. They can invoke the most intimate feelings of human beings such as fear, anxiety, etc.
Photographs do not only affect personal life. They can also affect the public. For example, the Vietnam War (1965-1975). The images brought back from the war greatly affected public opinion. In fact, the US military even integrated photojournalists into their combat operations so they could photograph for them.
In today’s modern world, social media has further increased the importance of photos. Just consider the example of Facebook. Sharing photos is the most common activity there. And why not? They are the most interesting and powerful way to communicate feelings. They allow us to convey something, which might not have been possible through words.
In fact, the importance of photos in life is so great that if you ask people what they would save from their house on fire, most of the time their answer would be the photo album or digital images.
They grab our attention like nothing else. And, let’s put it this way. Over time, our minds become fickle and we begin to forget things. The only way we can record them is through images. They have been and will continue to be the best way to store memories and emotions. In fact, they are the most prized possessions in life.