Photographic Memory

A recent trip to my Grandparents’ house had me returning back with a lot of old albums with photographs taken years back(even before I was born). I love looking at old photos, especially if I’m in them . So in the night, me and ma go through the albums, while ma excitedly explains about the unfamiliar people in the pictures and where the photo was taken etc., I listen and laugh at the stories about each picture. However, only a handful of pics from my baby days were present among the various 10+ albums that I saw but nevertheless I wanted to dig through them and see how different everyone looked 15 or 20 years ago.

Mini Me

I found a LOT of differences(obviously). My mother looked insanely young and gorgeous, though people tell her even today that she looks like she’s a 20-something. My brother looked just like me when I was at his age, and in all of those pics of his, he was never shy of the camera.He even wouldn’t hesitate a pose or 2 which is a deep contrast to what his current relationship is with the camera lens, now always being very self-conscious whenever someone tries to click a photo of him.

My dad was always his usual self when photographed, always ready to have his picture taken, even if he was sleeping or lying flat on the beach with his trunks or even playing around with my brother or me. Cousins, aunts, uncles and the grandparents had their share of photos which showed them looking much more different from what they look like now.Each and every photo I looked at made me wonder about everything that was happening during that time and moment.

I could sense a connection with everyone in the photographs. Even with those whom I hadn’t known or met. Because they all, to some extent, contributed to the smiles, laughs, awkward poses and overall experiences that resulted in the capturing of  all those moments which I now hold in my hand and appreciate. It’s stuff like this which makes me want to click more pictures of myself.

When I’m 15 or 20 years older, I want to be the one seeing my own face in these photos and be astonished at how different I once looked. It’s a good feeling to have. I myself don’t like my photo being taken but now I think I should stop acting so silly. If no one takes pictures of me now, then in the coming years, no one will ever know how many pimples I really had on my face when I was young.

I’m grateful the camera was invented. The concept of freezing that moment and turning it into a format that lets you store it and view it whenever you want is amazing. So I now pledge and resolve to take as many photos of myself as I can with friends and family and promise not to be a sour-puss if my picture is being taken(or I’ll try at least).