There is a baby photo wall in the photo studio where I get my photographs printed. Yes, I do like to own some hardcopy photographs. Especially as all, if not most, of my photos are stored on my laptop or my mobile. The virtual photos on my mobile, I view now and again, before they get deleted because of storage space. Which is why I enjoy having a few select hardcopy, framed photos that I can look at when I am pottering around in my house. Little reminders of times, places and emotions. 

Back to the photo wall. It is of the photo studio owner’s granddaughter. From the time when she was a month old to the little girl’s first birthday. And of her numerous adventures. Very nice. It was while appreciating this effort that it occurred to me that I have no baby photos of myself. Not one. The earliest photograph was, maybe, when I was a year old. I look like I was stuffed into a rather small toy car, with a ‘bodoh’ or stupid expression on my face. Not nice. I wondered why there were no baby photos of me. Was it because my parents had enough of them ( I am the youngest amongst seven siblings) or they just forgot to take any of me?

I rummaged through old photo albums. And, I couldn’t find any visual proof that I was once a baby. Ed Sheeran’s delightful music video ‘Photograph’ came to mind. The one that comprises a medley of pictures and videos of him at various ages. As a new born, as a toddler, a child learning to play musical instruments and as a young man. A fun and heart-warming documentation of a very talented musician.

My continued search led me to a baby photo of my eldest sister. It was one photograph of her lying on her tummy, with a big ‘pottu’ or black spot on her forehead. The black ‘pottu’ was meant to ward off evil eyes. The lying on the tummy, I didn’t get, but it seemed to be the standard baby pose then. I found a few photos of my other siblings as babies and children. And, there were some of me, probably between the ages of one and seven, with my siblings and my parents. All black and white photos, taken by whom and on whose camera, I don’t know.

Out of curiosity, I wanted to understand about the photos we had, and didn’t have enough of, particularly baby and childhood photographs. Apparently, before film cameras and way before digital cameras, and way, way before video cameras became affordable and accessible to the wider public, photo or picture taking was for special events. It was reserved for important birthdays, milestone anniversaries or family get-togethers. And, photos were usually taken at photo studios. At least in Alor Setar, Kedah, where I lived as a child in the 1960’s.

I actually remember this. All nine of us dressed in our finest, trooped to a photo studio for a family photograph to celebrate my parent’s 20^th wedding anniversary. My dad had a serious toothache but was physically present as he was critical to the photograph. The importance of the occasion obviously warranted a trip to the photo studio, despite my dad’s swollen tooth and cheek. I also discovered some studio photos of my four older sisters, taken just before one of them left for Australia to study and work. My sisters, then in their late teens and early twenties, dressed up in sarees for the first time for the photo shoot. That moment of sisterly togetherness is etched forever both in their memories and in print.

Back then, taking photos was quite a costly affair. It involved investing in a camera, and buying rolls of film. Then, sending off the roll or rolls of film to be developed and printed at a photo studio, and paying for the prints. It was an actual process, and snapping the photos was the easy part.

These days, I take photos every single day. Snap shots of people and things. Also information that I want for short and long term reference; online purchases, bank transactions, recipes, names of difficult to pronounce medicines that I buy for my mum, addresses etc. My smart phone is a repository of visual information. So easy. Don’t like, delete. Like, snap some more. And best of all, it’s free. No considerations. Personally, I think it’s the best thing since chocolate or is it sliced bread (which isn’t half as yum).

I understand now.