Real value of photography

Today, I reflect on the real value of photography. Last week, my uncle lost his battle with cancer. What is one of the first things you do when you lose someone? You look at pictures. You start going through old family albums. You pull together as many photographs as you can to remember the good times, to remember the person the way they were, and to reminisce and bring back all of those experiences that you shared with that person.

I’ve been doing all of those things this past week and remembering so many of the great times with my Uncle Roger. In the process, I found one of those forgotten pictures that makes you smile and feel warm all over when you discover it. This picture was taken at my niece Megan’s wedding and brings back such heartening memories of Uncle Roger, my mom’s baby brother.

Today, we said goodbye to Uncle Roger, and as we shared memories with family and friends, we looked at pictures that reminded us of happy times together—childhood Christmases when he was our Santa Claus, camping on his very own island on Mille Lacs Lake when we were teenagers, and many family gatherings over the years.

I, of course, work with photographs and photography many hours of every day. I take the pictures, I send them to clients, I catalog them, I retouch them, I archive them, I print them, I post them. Today, I was reminded of how truly valuable those photographs are. The photos that I sent to my cousins were the only recent photos they had of their Dad.

Your family photos will pass from generation to generation as a window into the past and will be a vivid reminder of what really matters. They bring back long forgotten experiences, warm memories and cherished moments. This is the real value of photography!