Why Pictures Matter

I’ve just read a wonderful journal entry by photographer Megan Tsang called Why Pictures Matter. It touched my heart and made me think about the nature of our memories, so I want to re-share it here.

Megan’s Mum sadly passed away from cancer. Since her passing, Megan’s Dad has been sharing old photos of her Mum, and Megan is connecting with those images in a way she never did when her Mum was alive. The photos make her happy and give her hope.

This paragraph struck a chord with me:

As a photographer I’ve been in this rut of only taking “pretty” pictures of “pretty” things.  I’ve strayed from the days of taking pictures of everything. Nowadays I find myself “styling” images because that’s what I do for a living. But looking at that pile of images from when my mom was alive reminds me how beautiful the “imperfect” picture can be.

Even as a photographer who understands the importance and potency that photographs have in recalling our memories, Megan’s tender article affected me. I love my job, I love being a photographer, and I’m always looking for the perfect moment to click the shutter. Megan makes me see again just how important those moments are, and how fondly they will be looked back upon, even if they aren’t picture perfect.

See Megan’s beautiful journal post here: Why Pictures Matter – by Megan Tsang.