Why do I photograph?

Being in a photography course, the questions "What do you photograph?" and "Why do you photograph?" have risen recently. After giving some personal thought to the question of "why" I came up with some reflective reasoning.

Whenever I am cradled in a moment that I want to last forever, I often yearn for the ability to bottle everything that stimulates my senses. That way I could uncork it absolutely whenever I want and inhale my memories of that moment, what I smelled, heard, tasted, felt, thought and saw.

Using an example of a recent picnic atop a Swiss mountain, I would first bottle the soft green grass that I was sitting on. I would then bottle up the gentle breeze that sent whiffs of growing flowers and a hint of manure, wisps of buzzing insects and distant motors, and the lullaby that breezed against my hair. I would gather the warm, sleepy air and the direct sunlight caressing my skin. Finally I would bottle the view. The distant mountains that stretched forever, the wildflowers and distant towns, the brilliant colors and the blanketing sky. A view that no photo could give justice to.

Memories are important to me. Looking at a photograph I, or others, have taken stimulates words, sounds, ideas and feelings. I photograph to capture memories. To categorize moments that I feel are worth remembering forever. To share moments and memories with other. To capture and remember something beautiful, funny, relaxing and/or stimulating. To create a stagnant moment that will live forever regardless of how life carries on. To prove a memory, share a memory, allow the memory to stimulate my other senses to create a moment in my mind whenever I desire.