With the school year coming to a close, the future beyond high school continues to become a closer and closer reality. The senior class will soon become alums, and the junior class will only have two semesters left. Time seems to have passed by with little warning when put into these terms.
Pictures serve as reminders, visual representations of our memories. Time is one of the most precious commodities in a fast-paced, online world, and images allow people to relive past times.
Over the past few years, digital cameras and disposable cameras have been making a comeback.
An article from The Harvard Crimson says that digital camera usage is connected to a larger trend of being conscious of phone activity. Cal Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown University, coined the term “digital minimalism.” This term means leading a focused life amid the chaos of rapidly developing technology.
In an interview with NPR, Casey Fatchett, a professional photographer for the past 25 years and a podcast host, claims that the increasing use of digital cameras can be attributed to the desire to rebel against the smartphone-centered world Gen Zers were brought up. The youngest members of Gen Z are around 12 years old and have never lived in a world without the iPhone.
While digital cameras reduce the amount of time people spend on their screens, they have a lot more sentimental value to others.
“There’s something nostalgic about it,” said Hannah Penticostes, a freshman at Sierra College. She uses the Canon EOS M100, which her mom passed down to her.
“I used my camera a lot in my senior year of high school. It helped me be in the moment; instead of reaching for my phone, I would reach for my camera,” Penticostes said.
Fatchett says that the brain works differently, whether it’s a disposable camera or a digital one. Because there is a limit on how many photos can be taken, more thought is going into each time the shutter clicks.
Photoco, a website that sells all kinds of cameras, says in one of their blogs on digital cameras, “the limitations of digicams, such as limited storage and the inability to review photos instantly, encourage more intentional photography and foster a deeper connection to the moment. This trend reflects a broader shift among Gen Z towards embracing imperfection.”
A mix of nostalgia in the imperfect pictures and the ability to stay in the moment without picking up a phone makes digital and disposable cameras appealing to the younger generation.
The raw pictures are reminiscent of simpler times, according to Photoco. With time always passing, these photos remain as glimpses of genuine and unfiltered memories. Looking back on images after they’ve been uploaded and seeing familiar faces, smiles, and reminders of maybe even forgotten moments, gives digital and disposable cameras their sentimental value.
“It has more meaning and more depth than just a phone. They just feel timeless, and the moments the camera captures can only be captured once,” Penticostes said.
