Beyond the negative

Photography today has almost become an intangible output. In the days of the tedious process of converting a negative to a postive in a dark room, the product- a piece of thick paper embossed with memories on it- was a sacred object. A photograph was handled with care, hold only from the corners with a light hand and treasured in a memory book which had thick cardboard at the four corners of a presumed size on the page. Creating a photograph was creating a nostalgia in motion.

Things have changed today. Today, a photograph is more about sending immediate joy than the ardourous wait for the negatives to be developed. Sites like 123bubbles.com make a photo available across the continents at the click of the fingers. Photos have evolved as the centre point of a social dialogue. Photos are manevoured to create an identity, an aura and also sometimes, a foreboding mystery. Photos have not merely remained fragnants of memory and time. Photos pave a way for the future in more ways than one today.