Why do we take pictures?
There is this obsession of “preserving memories”. We take out a camera. We point. And, we "capture the moment". What it is really that one captures beats the hell out of me. Pictures are not the experiences. Nor are they the moments. They are pieces of paper crudely attempting to imitate life.
In the obsession to hold on to things, people fail to be “in the moment”. They take pictures to use in reminiscing about the past in the future. In the process, they lose the most important gift of them all - the present.
Pictures were never conceived in order to substitute the excitement, drama, and beauty of that ephemeral existence we call life. We only take part in this amazing journey once. We should learn to be aware of the value of the being here and now – of being able to experience life as it is.
1 comment:
What do we do with newspaper articles, stories, audio/ video recordings? Don't they exist on the same media plane as photographs? They are there to document and inform as well.
Aside from capturing the "moment", don't they also impart information, and at the very least share the moment with others not able to participate in the subject activity?
Taking time out of the moment is usually the realm of the photographer. the best photographs are usually those involving candid moments, action shots taken as events unfold (where the human subjects are could not care less of the 'intrusion' of the camera). I believe photography enhances the enjoyment of the present by making sure other people partake in the experience as well, well into the future.
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