The Power of a Printed Photograph
A repost from a personal note from Monda the Photographer
Preface: It’s 2020. I wrote this original blog post nearly five years ago, in September of 2015 - but it’s message resonates with me today more than anything. When I revamped my website, this blog did not carry over. It’s so important to me that I wanted to reshare it 5 years later. Open your heart, listen and be moved.
[Original Blog from September 5, 2015-with a few current things added!]
Today I'm going to dive into the conversation about the magical powers of a good ol' fashioned photograph. Sure, no physical bunnies will magically appear before your very eyes, nor will a cloud of smoke emerge if you hold a printed photo in your hands. But the memories and raw emotions that photographs bring to life, often times "magically" bring you back to that very moment which has been still framed in time forever. (Do you see what I did there?)
In a few weeks, I will be 40 years old. I'm still not sure how to feel about that. But, as my number climbs in age, so does everyone else's. And while 40 might "feel" old to me personally today, I know that I am still young, and I still have quite a bit to do on my bucket list in the years ahead. Heck, even my parents are still young, and they have 20 years on me! I could live to be 97 years young like my dear Grandpa John did...or something could happen to me today and I'd be gone in the blink of an eye. Until that day, I want to be surrounded by magic!
Let me explain the magic, and my reasons for this post.
In the photo above, you see me, along with one of my best friends, Jenny, and both of our first time “meeting” Mickey Mouse. A quick back story on how I met Jenny - I met her on my first day of college on July 10, 1994 at (then) Brown Institute in Minneapolis. We were both in school for Advertising Design. She is like my soul sister. I can’t quite explain it but I’d never met nor will I ever, meet anyone like her.
Back to the photo - meeting the mouse was a really happy moment for Jenny. For the record, I highly HIGHLY dislike the mouse (a/k/a Mickey Mouse!), but the mouse has always had special meaning to my friend Jenny. In 2010, we went on a journey to Disney World in Florida, where Jenny met the mouse in person for the first time in her life at age 35. Growing up, the Mickey character helped Jenny feel safe and loved in times where she didn’t always feel otherwise. She was obsessed with the mouse! Going to Disney World, and getting to meet Mickey for the first time in her life, ever, was a dream come true for her. I have printed photographs to remind me of the magic that this mouse brought to her! It was the trip of a lifetime for Jenny, and, well, Disney World is a magical place..so you know that great memories were to be made there! I was so glad to have been there with her to experience the awesomeness!
I look at this photo and I see true joy.
I'm brought back to this day 5 years ago with my best pal. While I will never forget this trip, it is pictures like this which spark a piece of my memory to remind me of how amazing this trip was. It brings me back to a happy place with my best pal, who unfortunately, now lives only in this photograph and in my heart.
Jenny died in 2013 unexpectedly at the young age of 37. The memories we've made, the time spent, the images caught on camera that captured of our laughter and goofiness - are all I have left of her. And thank God for that magic of raw emotion which this photo brings back for me! This print that I have framed holds enough magic for me to bring back the life of one of the greatest and best friends I've ever known, if for but a single moment.
One. Single. Print. Does. This.
There is power in a printed photograph!
The best part? In another 25 years when this photo resurfaces for me, the endless magic preserved in this photo will once again come pouring out and bring back that happiness that my friend Jenny left behind for me. The same goes for every one of you.
A printed photo has this magical ability to recreate the moment for you. What I find amazing about any photograph, is how much more powerful and magical they become after that person has passed on, and how we long to find every single photograph we ever took with that person to preserve their legacy.
This is why I say there ARE magical powers in a photograph! We have NO IDEA when our number will be called and our time on earth will have expired! The time to capture and make your memories is NOW. With you and your kids in the present moment. Yes, even if you haven’t had your COVID-19 haircut yet! Get professional portraits with grandparents. Get together with your best lifelong friends and take photos together. Capture that magic TODAY!
And then print those images. They do you no good on a USB in a drawer. Photos are meant to be looked at, displayed and enjoyed.
I encourage you to hire someone like me - who lives to tell your story in photographs. Hire a professional photographer who will capture the love and laughter of memories and milestones for you so you can be a part of the legacy and magic of that photograph. Hire a professional photographer who will be able to tell you how magical a physical print is. You deserve to look back on your photos to relive and experience those emotions and feelings with those who mean the most to you.
A printed photograph documents a single moment in time in one's life. It is a literal snapshot of our life right then and there. But the magic of what that photograph may hold...is priceless.
Hug your loved ones and hold them closely. And while you're at it, call me 651.324.2052, or contact me here, because I want you to have the magic of that moment preserved forever in a printed photograph to cherish not only today, but for generations to come! It's what I love doing, and I'd love to be able to give those same gifts to you. There is no better time than now.
Thanks for reading.
Monda
