Photographs

Close your eyes. I’ve asked you to do this a few times already so far, and I’d love to say this is the last time, but we both know that’s not true. Think about some of the best moments of your life. What do they look like? Is it a concert that you did everything in your power to get tickets to? Is it back in high school where you finally mustered up the courage to ask out your crush? Was it a weekend with your friends that you wished would never end? Or was it just a simple day that you spent with your loved ones? Think about that moment, play it in your mind, aaaannnnnddd freeze. Don’t you wish you could just freeze this moment forever? Don’t you wish that you can just take this moment with you and always be able to look back on it? Well, the first subject of the Nostalgia Series does that. I present, the Photograph.

I’m going to show my age with the Nostalgia Series, but the feelings that I get, and hopefully you too, when thinking of these subjects, will be worth it. First, I think I should narrow down what I mean when I say photographs, and then explain why I feel so strongly about them. When I say photographs, I mean actual physical photographs, not whatever we’re doing with our phones everyday, even though they are technically the same thing. I’ve mentioned this before to people, but I don’t really like what pictures represent today, and social media does play a part in it. I know that sounds super old and a bit hypocritical in my case, as I’m currently using social media to try to expand my platform, but just hear me out for second. Pick up your phone, go to your camera roll, and start scrolling through all the pictures. Depending on who you are, you may have a couple hundred, or you may have a couple thousand. Now think to yourself, how do you feel? Did anything click in your heart? What did you notice in the countless attempts to get that perfect shot or selfie? And I think that’s what’s missing from pictures now, that feeling.

I think photographs represent moments for us, by capturing them and the feelings they come with. That’s not to say that it can’t be the case now, but the intent behind pictures we take are much different today. How do I say this, without sounding like I’m writing this from a wheelchair? Most pictures today serve a purpose. Whether you’re an influencer building your brand, a fledgling Tiktoker trying to spread your wings, someone who wants to show all your friends that you went to a country, or want to show the food at a restaurant you just ate at. Theres no feeling behind this because you’re not necessarily catching a moment or quite possibly, missing the moment. Pictures are so intentional and calculated now, that you could have such a beautiful, historic, priceless background behind you, but miss the feeling that it should give you when looking at picture years later because maybe you took the picture 20 times trying to get the right shot to post. You get so caught in trying to look like you’re in the moment, that you forget to be in the moment.

I think that’s what photographs represent for me. Again, the same as what we do now with our phones, but when we took these in the past, the intent was capturing the moment. If anyone has the pleasure of owning a photo album, the next time you get a chance, go through it and then see how you feel compared to the photos in your phone. I have my own personal photo album that I put together back when I was like 17 or 18. I still have it and it is one of the most priceless things I own. It represents some of the best times of my life. I can still go through it today, and just like that, all the feelings I got from those moments come rushing back and make me appreciate them and people in it. It’s the same looking through a family album or the album of maybe someone you’re visiting. Even though the feelings you get may not be of your own nostalgia, they could provide a feeling of intrigue. Many times, I’ve seen people look through an album, get curious, and start asking questions like “who is this?” and “where was this taken?” This usually leads to the owner informing them and sometimes telling a story associated with it. And almost every time the owner gets filled with those feelings of joy, sadness, laughter from the photographs and passes that on to the person looking through them.

There’s also something about the fact that they’re physical that makes them mean so much to me. All the photographs I have are one of one. The ones in my album, I can’t just pull from the cloud. Something about that to me is very powerful. Similar to having that CD, vinyl, video game, or video tape that you wore down, it’s yours, and no one else’s. It will last as long as you take care of it. Plus depending on how you used to take photographs, the physical part maybe meant even more. Growing up we didn’t have a digital camera that could do photos and videos. We had a camcorder for the videos, which was a whole process to try to play after, and we usually used disposable cameras for the photographs. When I had money to buy my own or was given a disposable camera, I took it very seriously. There was only a certain number of shots that I could take, and I always tried to make sure every shot counted. I couldn’t just delete something and free up more space. That made the photographs more important to me in the end and every shot I took, I took because it was the right moment. Maybe we didn’t look our best, maybe the lighting wasn’t right, maybe no one was looking at the camera, but it’s ok because every shot felt perfect in its own little way.

I’m glad to say that I recently bought my first camera. Granted, I bought it so I could get video footage of the podcast, as my iPhone has failed me once too many times. Regardless, I’m excited for it. I don’t know how to work the thing for the most part, but I’ll learn, and I’ll go back to taking shots that I love. It seems trivial, but holding it versus my phone, gives me so much excitement and hope for all the moments I’ll capture with it, and the feelings that will come along with them. It’s no disposable camera, but I’ll be sure to make every shot count, print the photos, and make a new album. I can’t wait for these photos to represent all the moments I have ahead of me in life, just like the ones I treasure in my photo album. I don’t think physical photographs and albums will ever make a comeback and hold the same sentimentality that they did, but maybe capturing the moment will. You still see glimpses of it every day if you look hard enough on your feeds, fighting to break free and come back to the forefront. How do we capture those moments? Let’s start with treating each shot like it’s our last and trying not to get the shot because it looks right, but because it feels right. Then maybe the next time you look through your pictures, instead of saying “this looks great”, you’ll say “this feels great.”