Memories Are Made of This…

Art Institute of Chicago

How many photos do you take with your phone in a week? Why?

The answer to the “why” is most likely to preserve a memory. Research, however, shows that we remember less of what we photograph than when we take the time to really feel and see with our eyes.

I recently read several articles about taking photos and preserving memories. They shared the similar thoughts.

When we take a photo

• We are thinking about taking a good photo and not actually concentrating on the event or subject

• We don’t experience fully the feeling, smells, touch, or sounds of the place or event and they are not recalled in the photo

• The thought is the photo will capture the memory for you, therefore our brains don’t

Interesting! We often hire someone to photograph life’s important events like a wedding. We want to immerse ourselves in that moment. The photos will bring back memories stored in our actual experience. The compromise for less important moments may be take a photo or two, then put your phone away and live the experience.

Along the same idea

Sketching makes me really look, see, and remember details that I probably wouldn’t even notice if I didn’t take the time to do even a five minute scribble.

Chicago Symphony Rehearsal