DISCLAIMER: This post might get kinda long winded. And I might ramble. Sorry about that, but I think this is important.
I always have a hard time explaining why I love photography & why I never want to stop taking photos. It really comes down to how wonderful photography is at preserving memories & recording history. It gives me chills to think that in 200 years someone might look at my photos. I’m like a real-time historian. I think it is the COOLEST THING EVER that I can look through my family’s photos & see real life moments that I couldn’t experience. Relatives I couldn’t meet. The people who helped shape my grandparent’s lives & ultimately my own.
^^ My great grandmother & her sisters. Don’t they look fierce? I love it.
I was at my nanna’s house the other day & we were looking through some of her old photos. I love looking at old pictures with my nanna & asking her about them. It makes me so happy that they exist. I can meet great uncles that died in WWII & great grandmothers that I never had a chance to meet. I love all of them, even the ones that are blurry. And the ones where no one is ready.
You know what’s awesome about her old photos? I never once looked at them and thought “Wow, that photo isn’t that good.” or “dang, great grandma could stand to lose some weight!”. Why are we less critical about old photos than we are new photos? Okay.. here’s the big bomb i’m going to drop…
BECAUSE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT FAMILY PHOTOS ARE THAT THEY EXIST.
Yeah, you heard me. The most important thing about family photos is that they exist. Not that they are exposed right. Or that everyone is smiling. Or that you are all sitting on a vintage couch in a wheat field during sunset. I don’t care if your family photos are taken with a $5 camera you bought at Goodwill. Just. Take. Photos.
^^ My beautiful nanna. This might be one of my favorite photos on earth. Look at her shoes! And that fridge!
My next point..
WHEN YOU TAKE PHOTOS, YOU ARE TAKING THEM FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. NOT YOURSELF.
If you are waiting until you lose 10 lbs to have your picture taken, shame on you. If you are waiting until you lose 100 lbs, shame on you. Get your picture taken now. Your kids & grandkids & great grandkids won’t look back on that photo & care one bit about how you look. They will be thrilled beyond belief that they exist. Future generations will care much more about your photos than you ever will.
Last but not least…..
PROTECT YOUR PHOTOS.
Make copies. Put a disk in a safe deposit box. Give a stack to your mother. If your house burned down right now would you lose precious photos you couldn’t recover? Find a backup solution as soon as you can.
You are probably wondering, “Alex, what in the heck spurred this random outburst?” Japan. Or particularly this story about survivors trying to find their lost family photos.
It’s a story about how soldiers & locals have been collecting all the photos they find. Volunteers are cleaning them & displaying them, hoping that they are claimed by relatives. People stop by everyday hoping to find their family photos.
From this CNN article, “”When I saw his face among all this, I was shocked but so happy,” Hideto Abe said as he picked out a photograph of his longtime friend. His friend went missing after the tsunami. Abe said he will give the picture to his friend’s brother.”
Sigh. Photos matter.
Look at this photo. Really, SEE that photo. Think about it. Then go take some more photos, even if you don’t want to.
