Many people are familiar with the cliché "a picture is worth a thousand words." In simpler terms, an image can evoke memories and other feelings that are much more complex than perceived at first glance. Photographs are particularly unique because in a certain sense they have the extraordinary ability to transcend time and reality. Looking at a photo can take you back to a time when you were carefree and worry-free, even though your current situation may be just the opposite. Looking at photos and remembering is especially interesting when the viewer has some relationship to the photo. Whether the viewer is the subject of the photo or is simply connected to the circumstances portrayed in the photo, personal connections seem to open the door to a whole other universe of interpretation. However, images also have the ability to be deceptive and reveal a false “reality”. People usually capture festive moments rather than discouraging ones with the aim of making their family look cheerful and united in their family photo albums. The pose is a fundamental factor that contributes to inventing a non-existent reality within family photographs. In certain situations, photographs also have the ability to change our exact memories and adapt them to the exhilaration and whimsy portrayed in the image. Only a few people (i.e. the subjects of the photo) are perhaps able to decipher the authentic feelings behind the smokescreen that poses for family photographs. When I look at the photograph I chose to bring to class I see pure innocence. Although I may not have known it at the time, those were the best years of my life. At that point in my life, all I wanted to do was grow up, go to college, and have some responsibilities so I could feel relevant in society. ...... half of the paper ...... the same (exactly accurate). While the family photograph I sent reminds me of easy times, family, and years of innocent youth, it also makes me question what I think of when I see the photo is it truly accurate. Ironically, photos have the unique ability to reflect happiness and, honestly but truly, represent sadness and wrongness. No one person can tell another what is truly depicted in the photograph due to the inherent objectivity of the viewer. Any other practice or imposition of viewpoints would result in the blurring of the viewer's personal inference about the relevance/meaning of the images. While photographs [especially family photos] have the ability to say a thousand words, we may never know which of those words are plain lies. Works Cited Holland, Patricia. "History, memory and family album". Virago Press (1991): 1-14. Press.