Far More Behind the Camera Lens

Through the advancement of technology and new inventions, the camera was introduced. With it came a new method to savor memories and freeze moments in time. Through the photographs, a moment was captured and preserved forever. The camera works as a time capsule, pulling us back through time to those memories and happier times. Photographs and pictures convey things that cannot be said in words. How can we describe a beaming smile in words? Or try to put a good memory into words? Photos serve as a pathway to those memories we may have forgotten about.

However, it cannot be ignored that in today's world, photographs can often be distorted and warped. These pictures end up conveying a different message from the reality. In social media especially, there is a tendency to edit photos and make them better than reality. Too much time is spent choosing filters and picking which photo is best out of hundreds to actually appreciate the photo itself. We often only take pictures of the happy moments and learn to sugarcoat the rest of our memories. Our lives shown through photos are ultimately fake, as we only learn to post our best versions of ourselves and create unrealistic expectations. Photos often fail to capture entire story. A photo of a smiling woman may not show the pain behind her smile and it effort it takes to smile. Although photographs are great for capturing memories, they often fail to encapsulate the whole story and create an illusion of a perfect, beautiful and ultimately fake and unrealistic world.