Today’s Photos, Tomorrow’s Records

Did you take a photo recently? Was it on your phone or a camera? What was it of – yourself, your friends, strangers, places or things? Was it good? Hopefully, it was. Will you post it online? Perhaps. Then what? Deleting it? No! Do not do that. Do not delete those photos. If you want, you can remove them from your phone or your camera but remember to keep a backup somewhere. 

Do not delete photos, no matter how mundane you think they are, permanently. For the photographs of today are the records of tomorrow. The things your lens captures today could be vital sources of historical information in the future.

The need to preserve photographs cannot be emphasised enough. Photos are a vital part of our culture and life, capturing moments and events that shape us, those around us and our society. 

They provide a visual record of the world we inhabit for the generations that will come after us. Without photographs, their understanding of their history will be greatly diminished.

It is important to clarify that the term ‘photo’ here is intended to mean both still and moving images. Both are visual records of events that deserve protection. The points made by this article apply both to photos and videos, even though only the former is explicitly mentioned.

One of the primary reasons for preserving the photos we have today is for our personal use. Photos help us protect the memories of our loved ones, revisit the places we have been and reflect on the experiences we have had.

Life is fleeting. One day, the friends and family we hold dear will die, we will not be as active as we are and our memory will begin to fail. That is not a day to look forward to but that is a day approaching faster than any of us would like to accept. Preserving the photos of the present will keep us connected to our life in the future.

In addition to documenting our personal lives, photographs also serve as a record of our society and culture. 

They provide insight into our lifestyle and customs and allow future generations to see how things have changed over time. Written accounts tell people what the past was like while photos clearly show it. They show our descendants the issues that are important to us now and the events that define our context, from political movements to natural disasters. 

This, in turn, creates a legacy – a legacy that both allows our children and grandchildren to learn from our mistakes and inspires them to strive for greatness we never could.

Just think of the many temples and monuments that have been and are being reconstructed in their original forms in the Kathmandu Valley based on historic photographs. Also, the artefacts that, despite being stolen and sold abroad, we have been able to call our own due to old photos. Photographs create a civilisational thread that sews multiple generations together.

Unfortunately, many of us are not in the habit of preserving the photos we take. We delete many images because we do not find them good or useful. We do not back up the ones we do not delete, putting them at risk of being lost forever if we lose or break our phones. 

There simply does not seem to be a collective realisation of the value of what we record. We do not seem to have internalised the fact that we are potentially making history with every single shot.

To ensure that our photos are preserved for the future, we need to take a proactive approach to archiving them. This means making sure that we make multiple copies in different formats, including physical prints and reels and digital backups. It also means storing our photos in safe and secure locations where they are protected from theft, damage or loss. So, we should make sure we do not forget our Cloud passwords or get our hard drives corrupted or infected with viruses.

As this article makes clear, preserving photos should not only be viewed as a personal interest but a societal responsibility. Our photos contribute to the posterity’s understanding of their roots and history. They are as important as books and must be treated as such. 

Governments and institutions like museums and archives have a role in preserving photographs as well. They can collect photos from individuals and ensure that they are kept in the correct manner. They can also reach out to professional photographers and bring photos from their collections. It is time to take action and preserve our photos for the benefit of ourselves and future generations.