Wednesday, July 6, 2016

The Importance Of Taking Pictures

We are living in a time surrounded by pictures. Posting pictures, taking pictures, posing for pictures, planning pictures in advance. Everywhere you turn there is a social media outlet waiting for you to post a picture of your lunch, you and your friends or the sun setting on the beach. With that being said, I don't think many people understand the importance of a picture.

Today, a picture is taken so that it can be posted and everyone can see that you're doing something important or fun or "picture worthy." Before there was Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram, taking a picture was meant for the sole purpose of having the memory to look back on. Graduations, important events, Sunday afternoons and summers at the beach all called for the flash of cameras and the winding of film.

At my parents house there are two boxes filled with pictures that my daughter and my dad are currently sorting out to put into albums. I sat with them a couple of times and flipped through all of the pictures that were spread out on the table. I left with a content feeling in my stomach and a smile on my face. Some of the pictures that I held in my hand brought up great memories that I had forgotten about. Seeing the amount of pictures that my parents took of me growing up, of them with their friends at my childhood home and the many pictures at birthday parties made me feel warm and fuzzy. I'm glad that my parents always had a camera in their hands. 

Pictures should be taken so that forty years from now, you can look back and remember the memory fondly. Pictures should be taken to cement the memory in your mind and in your hands. Pictures should be taken without the thought of "where am I going to post this?" and "what filter should I choose?"

It might sound old fashioned, but photo albums are important to have, even in 2016. Yes, you can upload all of your pictures to your computer and back them up on a hard drive, but having the physical copy of a picture in your hands feels so much stronger than looking at it through a computer screen. I suggest you get some photos printed and stick them in a photo album. In twenty years from now, you'll be happy you did. 



My Instagram: Markbuysdamagedcars

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