Memories & The Power of Photos
Memories. They’re a big part of what it means to be alive. It always amazes me what I do remember and what I don’t. How clear some memories are and how completely scratchy others seem. It also disturbs me a little when I recount a memory one way while someone else remembers it in quite a different light altogether. A recent incident got me thinking about the importance and power of photos in all this.
Memories: What The Experts Say
Psychology Today put it this way: “Your memories make you who you are”.
I’m not totally sure that’s 100% true, given how unreliable one’s memory can be. Plus, other studies like Scientific American claim, “Morals, not memories, define who we are”.
Can’t the experts ever agree?
That being said, I’m sure we all agree that memories are a monumental part of our lives. If our minds are filled largely with good memories, we live in a positive, upbeat manner. We feel rich in a way that money can’t buy. However, as we get older, even good memories fade or at the very least, they get fuzzy. They lose their clarity.
This thought struck me at my mum-in-loves 70th birthday this year. She’s such a big part of our lives and so part of so many of our best memories.
But here’s the problem: we have so few photographs of her.
There’ll come a time when all we have left is fading, fuzzy memories. Eek!
I realised right there that I had the power to change this, and I determined right there that a few photo sessions were going into the busy schedule.
The Power of Photos
Photography can connect the past to the future. It can “freeze” the present forever.
Photos can capture a moment that can be visited again and again. Photography can help us preserve our memories, bringing a clarity that can be cherished and treasured.
A photo in the hand (or in an album) can serve as a memory refresher, a reflection point and even a story-telling device.
Wow. Photographs can both help us capture memories and preserve the clarity of our memories.
Of course, in this Day of the Smartphone, we all take heaps of photos. And what a pleasure to do so.
That said, how many of the gazillion photos we take ever end up printed or hung on a wall or placed in an album?
That’s my challenge to you: use the power of photos to capture and preserve your precious memories, and fill your home and life with the tangible evidence of it!
If you’re interested in getting professional photographs done, drop me a line. I’m more than happy to answer any questions you have. You can email me directly or get in touch via the contact form.
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