I’ve been using Google Photos since 2010 – and it’s hard to imagine what life would be like without it. All my photographs are automatically backed up; I can access them on any device and, if I want to access a photo from the past, I can use AI-powered search to find what I'm looking for. Additionally, it offers powerful editing tools and easy sharing options.
Before I begin sounding too much like a Google salesman, I actually believe we need to reduce our reliance on these types of photo apps. I don’t think we should get rid of them entirely – that would be crazy – but in the pursuit of convenience, we’ve lost something truly special about how we experience photographs.
To understand where I’m coming from, I need you to come back with me to the early Nineties. I was seven years old and I was playing in the garden with my siblings. My dad entered the fray with his iconic Olympus OM-30 35mm film camera and began snapping away.
He always preferred to be behind the lens rather than in front of it. In fact, if you only had our photo albums as evidence, you wouldn’t be able to prove his existence.
Anyway, back to the garden and my dad capturing those special family moments. At no point in the whole process did I say to my dad, “Let me see that,” or “Show me the shot,” or “I want to have a look.”
There was no physical way of seeing the photo prior to it being developed, so the thought never even entered my head. I had to wait weeks or sometimes months before I had the pleasure of seeing the photos.
Fast-forward 35 years and I have kids of my own. I take a lot of photos on my phone, and the first thing they say after I’ve taken a shot is “Can I see that?” or some similar question without any hint of manners.
This attitude frustrates me. Maybe you can tell. It plays 100% into the instant culture where we expect to have results immediately with no waiting around. We’ve lost something special, and I’m ready to fight back
Bring back physical prints, I say. Okay, I know they still exist. But I mean, bring back their popularity. I believe that in an age dominated by screen-viewing, the tactile experience and permanence of a physical print is the best way to appreciate an experience caught in time.
The sheer act of waiting builds excitement and anticipation, especially if those photos are from a big holiday or an important event. In recent years I’ve created photobooks covering memories we have as a family, and this has significantly helped my loved ones to savor moments that would otherwise be scrolled past in an instant.
I think there’s also something special about the tactile experience of thumbing through printed photos. It connects you back to the memory in ways that a digital screen simply can’t.
You can call me an archaic dinosaur if you like, but the act of holding and beholding a photograph is a powerful, physical tether to our memories that we should not let digital convenience erase entirely.
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Wanna go more analog? Take a look at the best film cameras and the best film for 35mm cameras, or grab one of the best instant cameras. And check out the best photo books or the best photo printers to create your own albums.
