The Magic of the Photograph

 Videos and photos are time machines. They capture that moment, freezes it into a tangible moment, forever. One can revisit it at anytime, transporting them back into another era, into another memory filled with smell, vision, sound. Pretty amazing. Even a photo of a someone you never knew, taken 100 yrs ago, beckons your thoughts about their life, their existance, events at that time, hardships etc.

For parents, we know, all too well about this time machine. The magic. If you took the video or photo of your child, it is like a postage stamp enabling you to go back in time to that every day, that second when you snapped the photo. Not only do you have a bittersweet memory because the present tells you how things have changed, but you can recite with clarity the events just before and after the photo or video was taken, what happened, what was said, smells, and more.  Usually parents will smile and take the time trip within seconds, the mind is so much faster than a computer. The photographer will tell you, smiling, "I recall taking this picture" and what happened after or before it was taken. The kids in the photo usually have less vision than the parent taking the photo. They usually either refuse to cooperate in the pose by making faces or turning their heads or they cooperate with exaggerated grins looking like clowns. Usually, what happens just before or after is not recalled.

Ask any person in their 70s or 80s about a photo they took. The same event usually occurs with their memory. This happens will music as well. Everyone can recall events surrounding an endearing song to them as if it was yesterday, and every time they hear it, they travel back in time instantly, thinking about the events that made that song close to them.

The whole thing is magical.