When I flip through the family photo album I recall the events behind the photograph. My first Birthday, a family Christmas, my sister at the fairground, mum pushing a pram along the sandy beach. The photograph acts as a trigger for my mind to wander back to when it was taken and It sets a chain of memories in motion.
For instance, if I was to look at a photograph of me and my sister as children opening presents on Christmas Day, I would recall the gifts that we got, the fun we had playing with our new toys. Eating turkey with my Granddad and wishing I could be more like him. Then I remember more subtle things, such as the feel of the carpet as I rolled my new Tonka truck along its highways, the smell of sage and onion wafting through from the kitchen, the redness of my mothers face as she frantically tried to make sure everything went as planned. The smell of beer off my uncles breath.
For these memories I am thankful for the photograph.
Sometimes I find myself in a situation where what I see before me I wish that I had taken a photograph. It could be a sunset melting into the ocean or a view from the top of a mountain. It could be my girlfriend as she dances away at a party or the winning goal at a football match. I guess I worry that without the photograph I may in time forget the event.
I have a friend who is a keen photographer. he has the latest and greatest digital camera, a home publishing software programme and never leaves home without his camera. His work I have to admit is extremely good. He regularly attends all our joint functions and happily snaps away with his camera, something that we are all grateful for, as he e-mails me photographs regularly.
My concern is this, whilst I recall the function I attended, laugh at the antics of my friends, remember the fun we all had dancing and joking around, I wonder how much he really remembers. Sure he has a hundred photographs to cast his eye over and can piece together the evening, but was he really part of it?
My point is this, sometimes as people we try too much to capture the moment, in photograph and in film, but in doing so, we remove ourselves from the spirit of the situation. My argument is that there is no better camera than the eye. Our eye detects the correct aperture and does not require any shutter speed. It can take a still photograph and it can film. You require no photoshop programmes to adjust colours etc as your mind can do this in an instant. By removing the camera and using our eyes we can also record a lot more. Our ears are open and record sound, which in turn creates an emotion. An emotion which can be recalled.
If I was to look at my girlfriend I can appreciate her beauty, the way she holds herself, the way her dress hugs her perfect figure, the way her perfume smells. If I stopped and took a photograph, trying to capture the feeling I would block these senses. The photograph would not capture the full picture.
The eye is the lens to the best camera in the world. Your mind. If you are constantly taking photographs and look back at them, there will be little you can actually remember about the night. Every now and again, leave the camera at home.
