Weekend Musings: Narrating stories through photographs

Do you remember those days when you would go through old photographs and how each photo was a story that could trigger a memory or a thought? A story that you may have forgotten but was somehow forever preserved in those photos.

Since then, photography has changed and how. Today, through photographs, one can speak instantly to the world and we don’t necessarily even have to know the people personally. This has been able to happen thanks to social media - a medium that allows many to share, express and inspire. As soon as you share a photograph on social media, someone from thousands of kilometers away sees it, appreciates it and shares your perspective.

In 2017 alone, a mind-blowing number of 1.2 trillion photographs were taken and more than 3 billion were shared across social media every day. It’s a simple inference then that social media wouldn't be what it is today if not for photography. In this process of clicking and sharing pictures, we never realized how intimate our bond with photography has become. We live and relive our memories every day. What’s more, the photos you share with the world can make people stop and think about the thought that went into the photograph. And you know you have one more person for a conversation of a lifetime.

It is your own perspective that makes each photo unique. One doesn’t necessarily require great technique but what matters is the story that a photograph has the power to convey. And this what excites me the most; the mood that can be captured in a frame. It’s really thrilling when you have a story in your mind and your photograph is able to tell that exact story to the people you share it with. The best part is when you know your photograph was able to trigger conversations, thoughts, and emotions in people you may or may not know. Like they say, a photograph can truly be worth a thousand words.

Photographs will continue to serve their purpose of retaining memories. Almost all families treasure their photographs because these personal photos tell their story. For others photographs are beyond memories, they will forever be their form of art and for many others they remain a source for conversation.

Just revisit the photographs of those childhood trips with family, or those where you performed during a school function or even those where you were all dressed up for a wedding. It’s the best reminder of how the world before you has changed over time. I encourage everyone to click more pictures in endless numbers and remember the reason why you clicked them because these memories will trigger a story, thoughts and so many emotions that you can share with everyone now and in the times to come.

Happy World Photography Day!