Just imagine..

[rayyan]

Just imagine that you are the last surviving member of our species in the entire universe. Nothing remains of us all. Nothing. You are nearing your end. That is the last remaining evidence of us.

In those remaining few gasps of your life, you want to look at all that we were, our histories, our cultures, our virtues and our follies. About our feelings, love, hate, anger, greed, charity, fear, hope, dreams in short one last look for you at the thing that you have valued the most.

You barely manage to bring out a crumpled photo from your within your tattered clothes. You look at it. It tells you all there is that you want to re-live as you take your final breadth...

Which, what and of what would that photograph be?

As a corollary, you have one photo that you shall leave behind for whoever or whatever comes next..to tell the story of the human race..

Which, what and of what would that photograph be?

The answer to those two questions, for me, determine the most valued photograph I ever took or shall take.

 

[Lars]

A self-portrait?

 

[Shashin]

The one I would leave behind for others would be one showing our stupidity because that must be the reason for our demise. Humans have been a very destructive species.

The other that I look at at my final breath would be one of my wife.

 

[4season]

I'd probably pick a photo which evoked a certain mood, and it might be as simple as sunlight shining through blades of new grass.

I wouldn't begin to know how to leave a meaningful message behind for other species: It's tough enough to decipher meanings from our own kind from a few thousand years ago.

 

[fotografz]

A group snap of me with Jesus, Krishna, Mohammed, Buddha, Manitou ... all giving me the thumb's up ... to cover my bases just in case

To tell the story of the now defunct human race ... set up the camera on self-timer, aim it at me, and press the cable release just as I died ... says everything ... we're all dead and everything else is irrelevant.

-Marc

 

[rayyan]

Thank you all so much for your responses. All valid and so true.

As for the last photo, I would look at..I think I am inclined to agree with Shasin... It would be of my immediate family.

As for the one to leave behind..I am at a loss. We have been stupid yes, but also
intelligent. Destructive yes, but also constructive. We have hated, but also showed compassion. Cruel and also shown mercy. Greedy but also shared with others. Bigots but also tolerant. Powerful and weak at the same time.

We have been human! And I wonder if just one image could portray our race ( although that was what I initially thought ) to cover all what we were, are or could be.

As Marc rightly says, I want to cover all bases!

My thanks again for being wonderful sports to have participated. Interesting to say the least..and thought provoking responses.

 

[D&A]

I hope its not too late to participate. I too would choose to take the last photo I take, of my family...as it represents the one thing that means the most to me.

As for a representative image to leave behind? I would quickly find the one most everyone has seen taken by astronauts of the planet we call earth. I believe it shows the shear beauty of our existence in the place we all call home in the purist form and represents all that has been created on earth....the land, the sea and the diversity of our planets species.

Dave (D&A)