When I was about 12 years old, I was given a 9 MP camera for my birthday. At the time, this was the best gift ever, and I couldn’t wait to take ‘professional’ photos with it.
This was in the early 2000s when in order to get a picture of something, it required a physical camera. Nowadays, everyone is a photographer.
To the left of my keyboard, my smartphone has a 12 MP camera, and that isn’t even considered top of the line in the phone world. Just about everyone has a high functioning camera on their phone, yet our picture taking habits through the years haven’t changed very much.
Sure, family pictures, or posting the casserole you made for dinner on Instagram are all great uses for a camera, but there are so many other areas where they can be used, yet for the most part are not.
Here are five.
The Bad Moments
As a pretext, the really awful moments obviously do not, and should not be photographed, however the daily bad moments can often be turned into a positive event to laugh at down the road.
There is nothing that brings back memories more than getting the picture of the ocean wave that ruined an attempted model picture or the screaming baby on Santa moment.
While it can be tempting to delete the picture, these are the kind of pictures that once the dust settles and time passes, become a great story.
Injuries
If you get injured, take a picture of everything. Take a picture of what caused the injury, the actual injury, and make sure to timestamp it. This is especially true if you end up filing a lawsuit or applying for workers’ compensation.
Having photo evidence of the puddle that you slipped on, or the box that was too heavy and led to a strained back, can serve as evidence should the insurance agency or a supervisor have any issue in filing or completing a claim.
Another reason for this is to have an exact time on when a lingering injury occurred. Oftentimes, a strained back may seem like an injury that happened a few weeks ago, when in reality it was a few months ago.
This kind of misinformation can completely change a diagnosis. Having photo evidence and a timestamp of when the injury occured will prevent this.
The Daily Schedule
It may not seem like much now, but taking photos of a daily schedule can serve as great memories later. It may seem weird or even dumb to take pictures of your work desk, the breakroom, a kitchen, or your television, but years down the road they will serve as great memories.
Think about it – so much of our lives are spent at work, and despite it not always being sunshine and rainbows, there are some great moments, and photos of those places will bring those back.
Things as They Are
This is different from the last category in that yes, it can have daily items, but the purpose is different. Taking a picture of your car now can turn out to be very helpful if you get in an accident and someone tries to claim a scratch or dent was already there. Having photographic proof serve in getting a better payout on the insurance claim.
Other examples of this category include appliances, yards, work desks, and anything else that may be altered or affected in a way that would serve as proof of how it was before.
Once in a Lifetime Events
Just kidding! Don’t take photos of these moments, or at least not too many. Some of the most depressing moments I’ve seen are when I’m at a graduation, a big game, or a concert and instead of taking the moment in, people instead have their phones out to capture video.
I hate to break it to you, but nobody is going to watch those videos. You probably aren’t even going to watch those videos. The videos will sit in your phone’s storage and fade away. Instead in these moments, take in everything. Make a personal memory.
Also, during these events, there are usually professionally taken photos or videos. If you want a memory that can stay with you, buy those. If you must have a personal picture, see if someone less invested in the event can do it.
Don’t take my word for it – even Queen Elizabeth has commented on how she misses eye to eye contact when she is out as opposed to people looking at her through a phone camera.
Never Enough Photos
With the exception of the last section, it is essentially impossible to have too many photos. It has been proven that photos are able to spark memories and conversations better than almost any other common item.
You can always go back and delete a photo, but you can’t look back at a photo that was never taken.
