Photo Books And The Linearity Of Time

Sounds like a rubbish Harry Potter title doesn’t it? Well it’s not.

Some people like to take a lot of photos, some don’t take any. But those who like photos tend to not only like them but really love them, and cherish their photo books as proof of a life lived, of fun had; documents that certify the past was all one big happy gooey bubble of glee.

But is there more to a love of photo books than meets the eye? Do those who lovingly order their photographic documents, keep them pristine and in a special place, actually cling to them with all their might because they are in fact the only proof we have that time is linear?

With each page turned in a photo book we witness the ‘passage of time’; a child growing taller and less cute, innocent eyes wide, soon to be shocked and aged by the wider picture of the world. Or a grey hue creeping slowly onto a head like death smog as each album passes.

But there is not one image of anyone looking significantly older than they do in the present, in ‘real life’. And so if all moments existed simultaneously, this wouldn’t be the case, would it?

And so we uncover the primary use and purpose of the photo book: mankind’s attempt to understand time and verify its linearity.