Describe what the word “photograph” means to you.

Photographs mean sunny days picking blackberries, hugging Tigger at Disney World, blowing out the candles at a birthday party, traveling to London for the first time with my family, being silly with best friends...memories. Photos are my way of remembering the past. Sure I can remember memories in my mind, but photos last longer than a life time, plus they can be shared. Yes, it is definitely a way to share special or fun moments. My aunt is always sending us photos of my cousins. Since they live far away and we don’t see them often, it is nice to see them grow up. 

Photos just make me happy :) There is no better feeling when you find a photo from years ago with friends. It is a little surprise in my day and it always puts a smile on my face. 

About a year ago, a friend from Texas (I used to live in Texas, but I’ve lived in Michigan for about 8 years.) found a photo of me and her when we were about 8. We had not talked for years. So, she sent me a message saying she had found the photo, thought of me, and wanted to see how I was doing. So, in a way, photos also bring people back together or keep them in touch. 

Photos are important in my life and I like to think that my photos will be passed on through my family line long after I’m gone. That way, a little piece of me will always be remembered. 

Imagine a world with no photographs. Describe what this world would be like.

This is a tough question and truthfully I've never thought about it. The first thing I think is there would be a lot of emptiness, blankness, and less color. There would be a lot less decorations in homes, or everything would be paintings/drawings. My house is filled with photos, both professional and fun family trips. We have a very colorful house, and without all the photos as decoration, there would just be painted walls and nothing else. 

People would have to rely more on their thoughts for memories than on pictures that will trigger a memory or a thought about a special moment. For families that live far away from each other, there would be a loss of communication and grandparents would miss out on seeing their grandchildren grow up.

Not only are photographs meaningful in our daily lives, but they are important for our history. They can be pieces of art and represent parts of history. Photographers express their opinions or feelings through photographs. Plus, if photos didn’t exist we wouldn’t be able to document our history, whether thats family history or our country’s history. The past would be lost, and you would only be able to know what something looked like or what happened at a particular moment if you had been there or lived during that time. 

We are very privileged to live in a society and a time where photographs exist.