As all photography enthusiasts know. The magic of still photography is in the notion of being able to freeze and capture ‘a moment in time’. These moments in time can be evocative, controversial, disturbing, emotional, deeply personal. They bring out the essence of life and enable it to be studied, internalised, and shared.

We look at photographs in a special way. They remind us, they inform us, they educate us. Whether the images are of us and our families, or of historical events, they hold meaning and transmit that meaning to us in a way which no other media can.

 The concept of ‘ a moment in time’ is how our senses actually hold memories. Flashes of our graduation presentation, that first kiss, the try we scored in our most memorable rugby game, the feeling when we leapt off the bridge for our first bungy jump …..  all moments in time, frozen forever in our hearts and our subconscious, ready for us to recall whenever we need them.

 People talk of someone as having a ‘photographic memory’, meaning that they can seemingly remember things seen visually and then are able to replicate what has been seen with ease. This concept my or not be real, but what is real is that all of us have memories of things we have done, interactions we have had, pleasures and pain. These memories, these moments in time, are always there in our minds. Not all are easily accessible, but all are there just waiting to be recalled. Essentially they are snapshots of our lives, a slide show par excellence, a visual diary that only we have access to.

     “We do not know the true value of our moments until they have undergone the test of memory”

       Georges Duhamel

 Our memories are our own, and in the end they are all we have. We entered the world with our minds a blank page, yet we leave the world with a book in our heads. The pages of our book contain our memories, our personal moments in time, our lives. We spend our lives writing that book. I guess one could call it ‘The accidental book’ because it builds and forms around our daily doings, whether we like it or not ! Of course we have plans, goals, aims, dreams which forge and guide our lives, but few people plot their course in life with the sole aim of having nice memories to look back on ! Nonetheless, however apparently uneventful or magnificent one’s life may have been the book will be there for us all. The memories will still be there, the moments in time will be recalled on those pages of our personal visual diary. There used to be a very popular TV programme in UK called "This is your life". Celebrities were cajoled into appearing on live TV only for their life to be recalled and revealed through the recollections of friends and relatives. At the end of these often fascinating programmes the subject was presented with a large bound book with the well chosen line  " .............., this is your life". We are not all 'celebrities', but we are all the stars of our own lives. Our life is ours to make.

                 "For some life lasts a short while, but the memories it holds last forever."

                   Laura Swenson

 As we navigate our middle years and beyond we become more aware of the limitations of our futures, both in years and in potential. One thing is for sure, however - there are still blank pages in our book. It is incumbent on us to aim to fill those pages with exciting, magical moments in time, moments which, when recalled in our dotage, fill us with pleasure. These memories, these moments, will hopefully enable us to look back with feelings of content, and maybe even to have a wry smile to ourselves about things we did in earlier times.

                                         “God gave us memories that we might have roses in December”.

                                           John M. Barrie

 …….. and finally, there is truth in this quote from the movie ‘Hitch’ :

                “Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it’s the moments that take your breath away.”

Only one thing which can be inferred from this – it is our duty to look for, create, and cherish moments which do, indeed, take your breath away. It is these moments which will nourish you as you near the end. As the journey of life reaches its closing laps, the book is still being written, and like all good books the climax should be the stunning best bit !