Football games, homecoming, winter formal, prom; high school has so many memories to be made, all of which are made better by a digital camera. Through blurry lenses and tiny screens, digital cameras capture the raw moment and provide a sense of nostalgia for the present that a phone camera simply does not possess.
Similar to time capsules, digital cameras store memories beneath their lenses; memories that we will all look back on one day and smile at.
In recent years, digital cameras have experienced a strikingly high purchase rate, with the revenue generated in the Digital Cameras market worldwide being expected to reach $24.1 billion in 2024.
I guarantee if you walk around the school right now, you could find at least one person with a digital camera in their backpack— I have one myself. I keep my pictures tucked away inside of it for me to look at when I’m old and wrinkly, so that I can remember the good old days.
Aside from aesthetics, digital cameras offer so many other benefits compared to a phone. Firstly, digital cameras offer an alternative way of photography that may make people feel more comfortable and open to smiling in pictures than they would have in a phone. I have experienced the look of joy on my friends’ faces when I pull out my digital camera, in comparison to their expressions when I pull out my phone to take a picture. When I tell them to pose for a photo with my phone, they often give a half hearted smile, and some of them even cover their faces— however when I take out my digital camera, the mood instantly changes and all my friends smile at the camera.
Not only do digital cameras make for a more enjoyable photography experience, but they also help create more nostalgic memories— specifically because the pictures have the date and time included at the bottom. Their fogged lenses also give the photos a vintage feel that you just can’t get from a phone. Junior Ashley Peterson, another digital camera owner, also sees the magic and pure joy in digital cameras.
“It’s really cool having something to document high school with that isn’t just your phone. Phones are great, but it’s so much more fun to have a digital camera. Digital cameras are like a time capsule. One day, when I’m thirty years old, I’ll turn on my old camera from back when I was in high school and I’ll be able to look at all of my pictures and reminisce on the memories that I made,” Peterson said.
Social media is ultimately how the recent digital camera craze began, what with the endless pinterest photos of digital cameras on beach towels and in Italy. However, they are a “trend” that exceeds time limits of average trends. Digital cameras will always have a special place in the hearts of many, including me, and in 50 years when I look back on my high school years I will smile at the fact that I was able to document my life so joyously with my midnight blue digital camera.
