The Importance of Photography
And why you’ll definitely want to take more photos after reading this.
“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” — Aaron Siskin
Photography is undoubtedly one of the greatest superpowers of all time. And the most fantastic thing about it is that we can all use this power no matter what level we’re on; whether you’re a professional, beginner or amateur, taking photo’s gives you the possibility to:
- tell a story
- express emotions & ideas
- capture a moment
and so much more…
“Photography is the story I fail to put into words.” — Destin Sparks
A couple of years ago when I was going through a rough time in my life, I found it rather difficult to talk about my internal struggles. I was longing to find a way to (creatively) express myself without having to utter a single word… I bet we all have these moments of not knowing how to express ourselves adequately, or we simply just don’t feel like talking. Which is totally okay, by the way.
In today’s world, we have an unimaginably massive amount of mediums to express ourselves with/through. Think of painting, speaking, writing… and photographing. At the age of fifteen, I slowly started to discover photography as an incredibly powerful tool of self-expression & storytelling. While experimenting with self-portraiture, my passion for the art form quickly developed into devotion and is momentarily the one thing that I now see as my superpower. The art of photography has not only brought me tons of joy but has also helped me built confidence and boost my self-esteem.
Let’s talk about photography and it’s connection to mindfulness. Taking photos builds up a greater sense of self-awareness within us. It trains our photographic eye, which then helps us to create a good picture in a short amount of time. Our mindfulness will be significantly enhanced as it encourages the regular use of the senses. If applied to daily life, it can also help to improve the relationship we have with ourselves as well as with other people.
A study from Yale University has shown that taking photographs can increase our enjoyment of experiences. Results have indicated that across a variety of experiences, taking photos generally boosts people’s engagement and pleasure with any kind of activity they’re participating in. These findings were supported through both self-reported survey measures and direct behavioural evidence. In one study that used eye-tracking glasses, researchers found that participants who took photos in an art gallery spent longer examining the principal aspects at the exhibit.
“We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us.” — Ralph Hattersley
While experimenting with different genres & styles of photography when I was a photography major in art school, I discovered my love for capturing other people’s special moments and telling their stories visually. Whether it’s a wedding, birthday or a family photoshoot… The feeling of capturing personal communication that would otherwise be lost forever, remains wonderful.
With a camera, you can capture a moment that will be gone forever, a moment that will become impossible to reproduce. A photograph has the power to allow us to relive memories and connect to the emotions we had in the past. Imagine yourself looking at a photo from a fun holiday you once went on. By just looking at that photo, you can feel all the ins and outs of that holiday; How lovely and warm the weather was, how delicious the food tasted and how breathtakingly beautiful the nature surrounding you was.
This is exactly where the importance of photography lies.
Without it, we simply wouldn’t be able to relive moments like these. Just think about that for a second. Photography is só important because it allows us to see the world from different perspectives. Because of photography, we can cherish the different situations & scenarios captured in a frozen moment. Photography allows to express ourselves & to bring back experiences in the shape of photos. It implements the spreading of information of things as they really are.
