Photographs are Memories

Memories

I never appreciated the gift of memories at a young age. My father has always been a gifted photographer. From as young as I can remember he would take zillions of photographs on every family outing or holiday we went on. He really was the extreme. As a child I remember how annoying I found it, especially once I got to my teenage years and never wanted to be photographed. I never realised the importance of what he was creating. Back then digital photography didn’t exist. All photographs were in your camera on a roll of film. Once used up the film then needed processing and we would wait in anticipation to see what came back!

My father’s house has an office where he stores bundles of photo albums and endless boxes of printed photographs. These boxes, although taking up valuable shelf space are in fact our biographies (my siblings and I) in photos. These boxes hold dear memories for all of us. Memories that as a child I had no appreciation for wanting or ever needing.

Time changes us…

You can never match or liken the feeling of holding an old photograph in your hand. A photograph of you with your mother, or one of you holding your baby sister after she was born. Without these photographs sacred moments I was part of as a child I may never have known. The prints are the evidence. These prints therefore become the memories themselves.

I know most families will never have the quantity of old photographs that I am fortunate enough to have.

The point I am trying to make is that next time you have your photograph taken with your husband/wife/child/parent. Do not sweat the details like ‘does my hair look frizzy, or do I look fat in that photo? Although it may seem important to you at the time I 100% guarantee that in 5/10/20/50 years time that you or the other people in that photo with you will not care. What they WILL however care about is that they have that memory to keep. They will care that they have a special moment there in their hands that can never be taken away.

Our memories deteriorate over the years and moments we hope to never forget do in fact fade. But those glossy pieces of paper that we save and print and keep will be the most cherished and precious memories that we will ever or could ever have.

Photographs are memories.

The images used in this blog are from a recent Family Lifestyle session that I took. 3 generations of the family were there and these photos will be like gold for those little boys when they grow up. Memories of their grandmas and granddad, their mum and dad and each other. These memories they will share with their children one day.

Photographs are memories. Memories really are priceless.