Transient moments of life

Fancy were the photo albums of yesteryears. In the 60s, the black and white pictures were smaller in size and they were placed in albums between them were tracing paper like sheets that kept the pictures from sticking to the opposite page.

Looking through them can take you on a session of daydream. If you weren’t from that decade, it does not matter because you could drift away imagining how those days would have been.

The beauty of black and white photography was that it left a lot to your imagination.

The sight seeing pictures give you a perspective of how simple the places were. Roads and beaches were not as crowded. The background of the pictures were always clear. The charisma of black and white pictures is breathtaking and is nostalgic. Life was simple.

From the 70s onwards there was a leaning towards colour and the albums were bigger. And 80s and 90s saw quick service of the film development and that meant instant photo albums too. They became smaller and easy to hold and carry.

May the term negatives are not used anymore and washing the film may not mean so much today. But experts say the negatives if stored properly will continue to be in good condition to develop pictures many ever years later. They say negatives can outlast digital files.

The millennium saw the transformation to digital photography and it became unstoppable once everyone started to own a smart phone.

Photography became a daily art and selfies became an obsession. And street photography became so easy. The urge for self expression became a necessity and now no one has to wait for someone else to take a picture. It is the era of timelines and status updates. Photography today with the aid of a mobile phone has become a sentiment more than an artistic expression.

We do not have to go to studios to develop the pictures. We store them and can take a peek whenever we want. But how do we pass it on to the next generation?

Just hand over the storage. As years go by they can look at the images and recollect childhood memories.

Looking through my collection of inherited photo albums is a treat. It is a walk down the memory lane.

Family photo collections are chapters of life. The images portray the person but we can only wonder about their thoughts and what they were going through.

Who took the picture? How did they travel to the place? What was the function? Why were they all so serious?

Now of course we take pictures from all angles and we take hundreds on each occasion. Of course to assist us are the social media platforms and apps with filters to enhance the appearance and mood.

But when you have a collection - the images collectively describe the journey of life - birth, first steps, childhood, picnics, school days to college to marriage. Parents collect these special moments and children eagerly pose, but they only know the pictures worth later.

Truly photographers are special people. They capture the moment forever. Many people featured in the older albums may not be here anymore. Or some may not be connected anymore. There are stories of happily ever after, bitter break ups, sad goodbyes and glorious moments. These are life stories that we hold in our hands.

That is why they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Transient moments of life captured forever. You may not have been there but can be part of it in your own way.