Memory Keepers… The evolution from analog to digital photography

It has often been said that a picture is worth a thousand words… but what is the value of a photograph if it is never looked at?

As I have mentioned before – I have loved photography for as long as I can remember. Whether it was looking at the photographs that other people have captured of vacations or events, seeing an image of someone who lives far away – to put a face to the name, or simply capturing the essence of a moment, there is something fascinating and magical about allowing a moment in time to be captured.

When I was in high school I spent a lot of my time running around with a camera. Whether they were photos for personal use, the yearbook committee or the Photography Club I was always shooting or processing something. Because of this I have albums, boxes and scrapbooks full of photographs… I wonder what my children will have to remind them of their high school days when they are my age.

When I went away to university – I knew no one else who was going to be at the same school. I lived in residence – and all of those pictures of the people I held the most dear went up on my wall. I didn’t feel quite so alone. When I did make friends (living in residence it didn’t take long) they were always fascinated with my wall of pictures and posters, constantly asking about this picture or that one. Where was this taken or who is that….

Over the summers while I was in university I worked at Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta. Again, my camera was always with me (when I was not at work), and my photograph collection grew and grew with images of people from around the world, adventures we had, and moments we shared.

While I was at university – the internet became a thing… well… not really. We had email but phones were still for the most part attached to a wall, and cameras were still cameras – only.

Since then – there was the invention / acceptance of the internet and digital photography has become main stream. It took me a while to hang up my analog camera. Say good bye to film and join the digital age. My concern was that once we went digital we wouldn’t print anymore. Which unfortunately to a certain extent has become the case. In our house, we have photo albums documenting everything… until 2004. Since then, all we have is a folder on the computer which randomly brings up images in our kitchen.

I love to go back and flip through the old photo albums. See the photographs of places I have been and people I have known. Some of the names have faded from memory – but often they are scrawled on the back with some anecdote or another that always makes me smile.

About a month ago – someone I worked with in Lake Louise started a Facebook group for former CLL staff and asked the question whether or not anyone was up for a reunion in 2020… the photos started POURING in!! People started going through their own personal archives to pull out whatever photographs they have and add them to the page – offering the other members in the group the opportunity to reminisce. The original request was met with such enthusiasm that it has now been sectioned of into 5 year increments. I wonder… 20 years from now – will people have photos to share when reunions are planned?

Don’t get me wrong, I totally see the value in digital photography. The ease of storage, the affordability of simply saving files off your card… but it concerns me that many people don’t take the time to process and print their images anymore. It concerns me that one day when you get mad at someone you can simply delete all of the pictures of them from your phone – and they are gone. Yes – I know… things that have been posted are around FOREVER… but may not be accessible to YOU forever… I still have a picture of a person I was mad at as a teenager… that I ripped into tiny pieces – only to tape/glue it back together when the anger had died down.

When my grandmother was moving out of her home there were a stack of old photo albums, that we were pretty sure she would not have room to take with her. We scanned the photos and made her a coffee table book that ranged from her birth certificate and baby pictures (from 1911) through her college days, family weddings and up to her 100th birthday. We added captions where we could and it was fabulous to see the look of delight on her face when she recognized the people in the pictures. Her parents, the family dog, friends and places that she had not seen in decades! If she had not had all of these books of photographs – if they had been on a hard drive somewhere they most likely would have been lost in the move – and 100 years of family history / images would have been lost.

This is what is happening in many households with the digital era of photography. Images are being taken, and memories being captured on phones and digital cameras – but never being printed. What happens when you get a new phone? Do the photos get transferred over or saved somewhere? When you run out of space on your phone – what do you get rid of first? The newest app – or pictures that you decide you don’t need… the pictures are often the first to go.

When was the last time you had a family portrait taken? Does it ever happen? Is it a photograph that you will want as a representation of you and your family for future generations to look back on?

It is so important to capture these moments and memories – but when we do, we hide them on an electronic device somewhere. A folder of digital files is all well and good but it can so easily be lost, become corrupt or destroyed forever.

Share your photographs. PRINT them, enjoy them – and PRESERVE them for future generations to enjoy! Take the time to capture the moments of your life in a way YOU want to be remembered. Photography allows you to preserve a piece of your family history. Where you live, who was part of your life, the things important to you in a moment in time – some you may look back on and laugh, and some maybe moments you will cherish forever, even long after the person you shared those moments with is gone.

#familyarchives #Treasuredmemories #photography #timegoessofast #memories #friendship #love