A camera is a piece of equipment that can be used for recording visual images, and this might be in the form of photographs or videos. Since the very first rudimentary camera was invented, however, they have quickly become so much more than this. Whilst the camera itself is incredibly important, it is the product that it creates that is of the greatest importance. Photos offer us an insight into the past. They capture important moments in history, events that change the world and preserve them forever so that others can share in the information they contain at some point in the future.
Take a look at a photo sharing platform and what you will see is a wide range of photos. What these capture are many different historical pieces of information, from weddings to sports events, images of buildings to fashion – each of these photos has captured something historically important in the form of a photograph.
Documenting history
Some of the most powerful images that have ever been captured, images that stay in our minds, are those that have documented important moments in history. These are often events that can make people feel uncomfortable but that we should never forget. Images of the victims of the holocaust being freed from their camps after World War Two, the lone man standing in front of the tanks in Tiananmen square, the fall of the Twin Towers – these are all incredibly powerful images that have in some way shaped history. These are events, captured in photographs that should never be forgotten.
History is incredibly important when it comes to understanding not only what has come before but also how this shapes the future. It is one thing to read accounts of historical events in a book. However, as the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words and images have the ability to strike a much stronger response in people than the written word.
News articles
Photos play an important part in many of the news articles we see either on the television or in the newspapers. This is the case whether these are images of the devastation left by natural events like hurricanes or earthquakes or images of celebrity weddings. Without images, newspaper articles would be somewhat dull and far less likely to catch the attention of readers. This is one of the big reasons that magazines contain quite a few images with each article. They really help to draw the reader in.
These images capture all types of events in the form of photographs that serve as a permanent reminder of events that have happened in the past. Some of them may even make their way into books in the future. Photos of the effects of natural disasters, for example, are often used in textbooks to better help illustrate certain geographical effects.
Education
It can be hard to learn about things that happened in the past, and understand them fully, when it isn’t possible to visualise. Photographs help make education more accessible in this way. Whether you are talking about fashion, art or world events – visual aids can really help to illustrate some of those things that can actually be quite hard to picture based on descriptions alone. Studying old photos can tell us so much about history and offer a fascinating insight into how previous generations lived as well.
Scientists also take photos of things in order to document changes that occur over time so that they can further educate themselves. Photos of the moon can show us not only how the moon looks at the moment but taken at different times whether there are any changes that have taken place.
Capturing current events now may not seem as interesting now you’ve read about the historical photos that have such an impact. However, by taking photographs now, you’ll be contributing to the future of historical images.
