Has Capturing Memories Replaced Making Them?
Are we so busy capturing memories that we’re missing out on making memories in the first place?
With the advancement of technology & photography over the past several years, many of us find ourselves taking more photos than usual with our cameras, & especially our phones.
We don’t want to forget what all of these sweet memories look & feel like. When I have asked people, “Why do you take photos?” Most people answer with a sentiment like “To remember” or “To capture the memory.”
As you could probably guess, I place a very high value on photographs. Prints & albums are the most important physical possessions I own - along with my hard drive full of photos, my phone, & my computer. These would be the first personal items I would grab if our house caught fire. This is also the reason why I invest in family photos with a photographer at least once each year.
But with the ability to take more photos than ever before & with such ease, I wonder if we’re starting to replace making memories with capturing them…
We live in an age of social media that places an added importance on documenting our lives to then curate and share with others. But when we constantly experience our lives completely secondhand through our phones & cameras, are we really soaking in these precious moments - or are we capturing every second of our lives only to replay them afterward on our phones? How might this be impacting the way we enjoy our life in the present & remember our lives later on?
Before you think I am just the worsttt for bringing this up, let me say this! Taking photographs & documenting the beauty of life around you is NOT a bad thing. It’s actually one of my favorite things to do! 🙃
But I want to encourage you & challenge you with this - your life is beautifully & wonderfully rich whether or not you have a photo to prove it. You can trust yourself to know when to take your phone out to snap a photo & when to leave it in your pocket & take a mental photograph instead. You can store up the treasures of this season of life in your heart & mind even if you don’t have a photo of every activity. 😊
3 Ways to Keep Memory Making > Memory Capturing
Choose presence over perfection. Don’t kill the moment by making your kids pose until it’s perfect. Capture the essence of the memory and then sit back and enjoy.
Capture a few favorites and then put your phone away. This might even mean putting it in the other room so you can be totally free from the distraction of documenting.
Cull, edit, & share later. You know you’ve got the photos, now you can rest easy & just enjoy! Wait until the fun is over to look back through your photos, delete duplicates, & edit your favorites. Your friends & followers on social media can wait, but your friends & family you’re with in the moment want you right now. 😊
Photos are such an incredible gift we have to remember and treasure our current season years down the road, but I hope it never replaces us enjoying & experiencing the beautiful life around us right now. We aren’t guaranteed tomorrow, so let’s treasure today for the gift that is!
xo, Suzy
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