Photographs: a touchstone of life
Every once in a while it’s good to pause and really think about why we do what we do. In this case, why as individuals, couples and families do we seek out beautiful photographs of our lives? And why as artists do we dedicate our lives specifically to the art of photography?
Believe it or not, humans have been capturing images in some form or another since the 11th century. But it wasn’t until the 1830s in France, when Joseph Nicephor Niepce managed to capture the first permanent image. The first photograph! This was pivotal. Now a moment in time, a person, place, or thing, was visually preserved forever after that moment had passed and no matter how many moments passed afterwards. And this wasn’t a rendering or impression, like a painting or sculpture; the photograph was an exact, recorded image of the object seen through the camera.
Our history is now filled with iconic photographs...of celebrities and historical figures, of nature’s power and beauty, and of humankind’s greatest accomplishments as well as its darkest moments. Simply Google “iconic photographs” and brace yourself for the full gamut of human emotions. At the same time our personal lives are also now filled with photographs...wedding photographs, baby photos, and pictures of family celebrations, honeymoons, vacations, not to mention all the random recorded images of daily life that we snap on our devices everyday. What would life be without those pivotal photographs to look back on?
Photographs help us measure the moments of our lives, the big moments and the small. I think back to my own wedding and that trip to the South of France and even days at home earlier this historic year. The memories are haphazard, jumbled. If left to my own human mind and memory, it would be easy to forget countless tender moments, special details, meals or even the way the light looked on certain days. And I would have no record of the things I didn’t see, like the way someone smiled at me when I wasn’t looking. But when I sit down with my wedding album or travel books or even just my Instagram pics, it all becomes clear and vivid and wonderfully sentimental, like a favorite film on a fuzzy television that suddenly clears, the scenes becoming sharp, falling into order and telling the beloved story.
As we look through our photographs and look to have more, what is it we’re really doing? We’re trying to understand where we come from, where we’re at right now, and imagine where we might go. We’re also trying to hold important parts of life close to us. As we’ve mentioned before, sometimes the very act of touching a photograph can soothe the need to touch someone far away. It helps us connect with people we’ve never even met, for example, that great aunt or uncle that relatives say you are so like, but never had the chance to meet. We are also measuring our lives, in experiences, in historic events, in quiet moments. Photographs become the touchstone of life.
Photographers pursue their art for much the same reasons. Many of them hold a special fascination with the scientific process that produces a photograph. All are thrilled to use their creativity to capture the beauty and emotions of the world and preserve them forever. And when they edit their photographs they are able to add to the captured image all the emotion that might not otherwise come through if the camera was simply allowed to do what it does. As amazing as our cameras are, the human eye is far more perceptive. The camera records what was seen through the lens; the photographer adds what was felt. And so for the photographer, it is about making each photograph reflect the magic, the power, and the emotion of the moment, forever.
As we technologically evolve, will photographs remain relevant? Absolutely, and perhaps not for the reason you might think. As the world becomes more and more complicated we are all seeking moments of silence and stillness to connect with our inner most voices. Amongst all the videos and sounds and moving images, photographs are most like this stillness. That may be why photographers like our Rome-based photographer Giuliano chose the Polaroid when asked how he will pursue photography artistically. As he says, it is the most simple type of photography available. There is no editing, just an acceptance of whatever is recorded. But every type of photograph, edited or not, in its stillness represents what we are seeking now and in the future.
Photographs are beautiful pieces of art that fulfill a creative and emotional need both in the people who create them and the people who admire and collect them. They’re a means of capturing people and places and things we love or find interesting or just don’t want to forget. Photography is the art that speaks to this moment in time, as well as the past and the future, letting us be still even in our memories and dreams. They are the touchstone of life, helping us to recognize what’s important, how far we’ve come, and what’s important to preserve for the future.
Book one of our photographers, for now, or later, and create more touchstones of a life well-lived.