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"Of course I remember that birthday!" But the truth is, you can’t. You were a kid. Someone else held the camera. They pointed it at your cake-streaked face, crooked paper hat, and unsupervised fingers digging into frosting like it was a hidden treasure. Now, decades later, you say you remember the whole party. You even believe it. The now faded photo lives on your fridge door, but without the photo, would the memory remain? Memory doesn’t always play fair. It can cheat and borrow. And photography, benevolent, flattering, and, we might as well admit it, a little smug, sits beside it, suggesting ideas. What we remember and see has formed a co-dependent little ecosystem increasingly distorted by screens and scrolls. This story is about photography and memory, how they shake hands, trade secrets, and sometimes sabotage one another. Memory, media, and that subtle slide into fiction In the second half of the twentieth century, thinkers like Baudrillard and Debord began making a racket about images. Debord wrote about the so-called society of the spectacle, where people watched rather than lived, where no human experience remained unmediated by images. Baudrillard proposed that simulations eventually replace the real, first mimicking, then standing in for it, and finally erasing it altogether. You don’t need a lecture to grasp the point; it’s our contemporary world we’re talking about. Look at your vacation photos from five years ago. You remember the moment the shutter clicked. The scent of the ocean. The sun that bit the back of your neck. But look closer. Are you remembering the day? Or: Are you remembering the photograph? The filters we swim through Social media amplifies the above confusion. It does not merely reflect reality – it can more than easily stage it. You pose and perform. You post. And over time, the image does what images do best: it becomes the reference point. You didn’t feel so well that night, but the photo says otherwise. So, which do you believe? One of the main issues with our so-called digital age is the following statement: photographs are no longer developed – they’re accumulated. We document everything now. Screenshots, selfies, snaps, reels: your digital self has no consistent hairstyle. It is always smiling. It exists in layers of JPEGs, each image like sediment compressed into a version of truth. You once had a handful of prints tucked into albums. You turned the pages slowly, with ceremony. Now you simply flick past your face with a thumb. There’s a good chance your child will one day discover a hard drive of 40,000 pictures labeled IMG_3829.jpg and IMG_3830.jpg, with no captions, context, or smell of old paper. Photographs double as cultural artifacts. They document war, revolution, weddings, odd fashion choices… They gather, which is the way walls gather fingerprints. The Vietnam War changed public perception largely because of images. The Civil Rights Movement marched beside photographers. Memory, in these contexts, means more than sentiment. It becomes public record. Today, people preserve entire decades on hard drives, thumb drives, or in the cloud, often digitized. Through Capture, thousands of images can now be summoned in seconds, turning history into something as searchable as it is sometimes forgettable. Digitizing photos ensures long-term access and protection of meaningful visual memories. But here’s a warning: images without context fade fast. Even a powerful photo of a protester loses meaning if no one remembers what they were fighting for. Why’s imagery so seductive? Short answer: because it offers a shortcut. A photograph gives you the illusion of completion. One glance and you feel you’ve revisited a place, a time, a face. But the truth sits outside the frame, off-camera. Photographs promise memory with less labor. This is comforting. And dangerous. Memory, when left alone, evolves. It stumbles, it reshapes. It grows teeth. A photograph can freeze it in amber. Sometimes that’s lovely. Sometimes it’s an anchor. Ever argued with someone about a shared past? They recall one thing. You recall another. And then someone pulls out a photo, and everything shifts. The argument doesn’t resolve. In a way, it fossilizes. Photography, like language or plumbing or email, is a tool. It behaves based on how you use it. If you treat photos as conversation starters rather than verdicts, they can deepen memory rather than trap it. Ask questions of them. Use them as evidence, not a conclusion. Let them stretch your recollection, not shrink it. There’s a practice in some therapy circles: looking at old images not so much to confirm memory but to challenge it. To stir something unspoken. That’s where photography and memory do their best teamwork: the image becomes a key, not a cage. Every now and then, resist the urge to document, let your face remain unfiltered, or let a moment exist without proof. It’s not romantic or rebellious. It’s just... responsible. Photographs keep our ghosts well-dressed. But ghosts they remain. In the age of saturation, we rarely ask how photography and memory interact. We assume the relationship is loyal, factual, maybe even helpful. But loyalty can be lazy. And truth, filtered too often, loses its temperature. We need to be less certain about what we remember. That’s called humility . Photography can offer a kind of clarity, but memory thrives in contradiction. The best recollections are unreliable, full of strange emphasis and blurred details. Let them be messy. Let them breathe. If we’re lucky, a photo will someday take us back to a feeling, not to the exact moment. Not a record, but a doorway cracked open, leading to a room we once knew, furnished by time, softened by forgetting, and, oddly, made whole by the fact that we do not remember it perfectly. Let the image nudge. Let the memory wander. And maybe, just maybe, leave some pictures un-posted. Let them live in silence, in drawers, in private folders. Memory deserves that space. Did you enjoy this FREE read? Consider supporting us! For as little as $2./ month we'd love your support to continue producing great content for you to enjoy!   • JOIN US AS A PATRON  • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   • GET DIGITAL ISSUUS   Follow us on Instagram, Patreon , Facebook , and Instagram , and sign up for our e-newsletter to keep up with all our adventures!

Quebec’s distinctness surfaces repeatedly in a recently released photobook outlining the history of the now-defunct Agence Stock Photo, a collective of photojournalists working in the province between 1987 and 2017. The group loosely modelled themselves on Magnum, the famous agency founded to give photographers greater control over both the subjects they covered and the use of their photographs. Quebec news outlets published the lion’s share of Stock Photo’s images, with the remainder in other markets across la Francophonie , including France and Haiti. While the text is entirely in French, the photo-to-text ratio is quite high, meaning that those who do not read French well—or at all—can still benefit from the book. If anything, it might have been helpful to have more written on Agence Stock Photo itself, as well as the day-to-day realities and challenges of the photographers, both individually and as a collective. The interviews with the key figures in the collective are interesting and it would have been nice to have more of these documented. Still, for a volume that Le Devoir  called a history of the “golden age of photojournalism in Quebec,” perhaps no book would have been quite long enough. Readers get insights into a recent past that already feels a little distant. It’s not just the number of photographs shot on film, or that cars, clothes, and hairstyles have changed. It’s the reality that newspapers themselves are under threat, the media landscape is in the hands of fewer and fewer players, and there are not as many photographers hired solely to provide news coverage. We’re now used to an environment where ‘citizen journalists’ work for little or no pay, and who often have neither recognized training nor standards. So, step back in time to professional reporting of key events and shifts in the Quebec of not so long ago. Some of the ground covered will be familiar to readers in the rest of Canada, while some will be a glimpse into political and societal terrain that is uniquely Québécois. Bonne lecture !   Agence Stock Photo : Une histoire du photojournalisme au Québec — Sophie Bertrand et Jocelyne Fournel Softcover, 2024, 200 pages, French text CDN $54.95 plus shipping les éditions du passage Available from online retailers Did you enjoy this FREE read? Consider supporting us!   • JOIN US AS A PATRON   • SUBSCRIBE FOR PRINT DELIVERY   READ our digital editions  Follow us on Patreon  and Instagram , and sign up for our e-newsletter to keep up with all our adventures!

An interview with photoED Magazine “June 2024, Montreal” • Shot with Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Rabih Madi  is a Canadian, award-winning, self-taught wedding photographer, who travels extensively to document special moments. He also offers workshops to share his know-how with emerging photographers with a focus on composition, flash techniques, and dynamic lighting. He returns from his international adventures to his family and a big furry dog named Pixel. “May 2025, Mexico” • Shot with Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 photoED: How did you get started in photography? And what keeps you motivated and inspired to keep at it? Rabih : I started photography influenced by my dad. He always carried around a Nikon camera, and bought me my first Nikon camera in 2010. Passion for people and storytelling keeps me motivated to keep shooting events. Every time I shoot, there is a connection that I make with people that is extremely fulfilling. In turn, they get the same excitement and emotional connection too. photoED: What do you love most about creating stories through photography? Rabih : It may be cheesy to say, but freezing a moment is what I really enjoy. I often have people telling me they remember a moment when a photo was taken and they start getting emotional.  Photographs possess a timeless quality. When we encounter images from the past, conversations spark and the stories embedded within them resurface. Essentially, histories endure through images. I want to create that conduit for people. photoED:  Whose work has influenced yours?   Rabih : I’m inspired by Joe McNally. I bought his book, The Hot Shoe Diaries,  and have taken a class with him at WPPI Photography Expo . I liked that the class was focused on how to get great shots with minimal gear and lighting, and that you don’t need to invest your life savings to come up with something great. I like that he connects with people through amazing storytelling and that his charisma makes you want to know more about him. “October 2024, France Workshop” • Shot with Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 photoED: What makes a good photograph? Rabih : The story. The story makes a good photograph. Photographers can easily learn how to take a technically good image but having a story connected to it is the challenge. I feel when you get the viewer emotionally connected to the image, you have done a great job. The story part of the image is where people start remembering the photograph. I am constantly working striving to have my images tell a great story. photoED: How has working in photography influenced you personally? Rabih : My professional working background was in finance education and technology. It wasn’t until I picked up a camera that I was truly my natural self! At weddings specifically, working with a broad range of people and cultures I get to learn about traditions that span generations. I have a new appreciation for diversity thanks to photography. "Calm before the storm, 2024" • Shot with Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 photoED:  What has been your favourite or most personally impactful project or adventure?   Rabih : A trip to Abu Dhabi has been the most impactful for my career. I had just got my first full-frame Nikon camera and I photographed the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. It was the first time I really applied what I had learned in classes. Since then, I have been pushing myself to improve at every capture. photoED:  What does your dream project entail? Where do you hope photography will take you in the future? Rabih : I would love to develop a book about people from my travels and to get into more teaching. “May 2024, Montreal” • Shot with Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 photoED:  Do you have any travel tips for photographers? Rabih : Travel light but with intention. It’s not the gear you have, it’s how you use it. If you carry too much gear, you will be very tired by the end of the day, and likely not even use most of what you carried. Understand, when travelling to different countries, that you are a visitor and their traditions differ from yours. Aim to document without interfering or judgement. “October 2024, France Workshop” • Shot with Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 GEAR UP What camera and equipment do you use most now? What’s your favourite lens? Tell us about your experience using Tamron lenses. Rabih : I use a Nikon Z8 and Z6III for my everyday photography. My favourite lens is the Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD. It is a versatile lens that allows me to capture wide environmental images as well as close-up portraits, with no need to change lenses and risk dust in the sensor. Tamron has been really amazing to work with. Their lenses for the Z systems are high quality and sharp, and they focus fast. It’s all I need for my highly intensive weddings and events. Rabih Madi See more of Rabih Madi's work - HERE. Check out Rabih Madi's fave Tamron lens - HERE! www.tamron-americas.com

MELD. Issue #73 MELD. Issue #73 1/7 Photography Editorials for people that value intentional photography. Order the PRINT edition Pre order the MEMORY issue SUMMER READING SPECIAL Kick off a new subscription with this special summer offer! Find out more Winter 2024/ 2025: COLOUR Fall 2024: TIME Spring/Summer 2024: LIGHT WINTER 2023/24: LAND Fall 2023: WATER Spring/ Summer 2023: FOOD Winter 2022/2023: Botanicals Fall 2022: Photography + Activism Spring/ Summer 2022: Fashion X Future photoED magazine is for: Culture Vultures. People who feel good about surrounding themselves with quality content and ideas. The Community. For intentional photographers seeking authentic, process-driven stories. Featured Articles “Gorgeous. Inspirational. Informative.” Current Edition Order Print Edition Subscribe to get this issue + more! Meld Issue #73 Meld Issue #73 Meld Issue #73 Meld Issue #73 “The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.” – Francis Bacon Issue #73, is filled with fresh perspectives on photography from around the world. The MELD themed issue showcases photography as a creative blender, where artists work slowly and carefully crafting considered, intentional, and complicated works. Optimism and empowerment Although much of the work speaks to many of the dark challenges we collectively face — environmental disaster, war, human rights issues, AI, and more — this edition presents a quiet, optimistic, hopeful, and empowered collective view. Inspiration for change This issue invites viewers to slow down and to be curious, empathetic, and inspired towards positive, peaceful change in the world. FEATURING: Book recommendations by Brian St. Denis Change Made: Melding change through storytelling by Sid Naidu HANNAH MAYNARD’S GEMS by Cassandra Spires SPAO: IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME by Corinna vanGerwen Emma Nishimura: Stories, Memories, Histories by Corinna van Gerwen Curiosity, Wonder, and Unmitigated Optimism: Martha Davis at work + PORTFOLIO Features: Trina O’Hara Sarah E. Fuller Pavlo Fyshar Maryam Firuzi Rosemary Horn Diego Fabro Monica Rooney Christine Germano Zelda Zinn and Ralph Nevins + MORE! Cover image from the Submersed Landscapes series, by Sarah E. Fuller Digital EXTRA Edition A free digital companion edition Check it out - HERE “I love it! It’s a nice, analog way to interact with photography.” Subscribe Special Offers Digital EXTRA Edition DIGITAL BONUS CONTENT. Flick through our FREE BONUS companion edition. Patreon Perks Advertise With Us Call for Submissions “Subscribing to photoED is such a delight ... not only do we get to see wonderful images in the publication, but we also get great stuff in the mail! It's like a birthday party (without the cake) or Christmas (without the gaudy decorations) 3x/ year!” - Jude from Hamilton What’s on Patreon See the latest news for our community of Patreon supporters Find out more MOVEMENT Community, momentum, motion. Submit Here CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Photo Books About photoED Photography. Editorial. From emerging artists to established photographers, we share photography stories in a brand new light. Meet The Team Since 2001 photoED magazone has been an inspiration for over 20+ years to photography professionals, students, educators, and enthusiasts alike. With origins in Canada as a grassroots education resource publication, it is now a leading creative content publisher in the editorial photography space globally—spanning print, digital, and social media. Jet Tag Safety Reflector Key Chain C$12.00 Price Buy Now Best Value! 6x issue /2 year SUBSCRIPTION C$85.00 Price Buy Now Great Value! 3x issue /SUBSCRIPTION 1 YR C$45.00 Price Buy Now GuruShots Extraordinary Architecture READ MORE HERE photoED magazine is for... Photographers and photography lovers. Process driven lens-based creators. Intentional image-makers. The open minded & curious creatives. People who believe conversations about photography and art should be accessible. People passionate about qualitative storytelling through photography. Culture vultures. People that feel good about surrounding themselves with quality content and ideas because it is going to make their lives better. People seeking worthwhile content that isn’t click-bait rip-offs. People who celebrate and enable others to share their work despite industry trends and popularity-based online algorithms. Folks that know you can never replace a live experience with fine art photography with a virtual one. photoED is NOT for… Gear heads who want tech reviews. People who enjoy buzzwords and art speak. Click bait doom scrollers. Critics & judges. Folks that don’t see value in editorial integrity. People who believe in old school institutional value structures determining an artists ‘worth.’ Old boys club members and associates. How can I get photoED Magazine? We have a few great options for print and digital delivery! If you’re loving what we’re about, and have an interest in reading the publication (and getting some sweet perks) – join us on PATREON to support what we do for as little as $2./ month. Our SUBSCRIBERS receive the printed publication 3x/ year via snail mail, in April, September, and November. If you missed a theme you’re interested in – we have PAST EDITIONS available HERE. Our list of bricks and mortar retail partners is HERE. If your preference is digital, we post our replica editions – on Press Reader HERE. If you’re a school or library – yes! You can order our publication via EBSCO / Flipster. Can I give photoED magazine as a gift? Of course, YES! Simply place your order for subscriptions, merch, past issues, special offers... online and edit the 'Shipping address' to be your giftees! If you include a 'note' we'll add a hand written postcard or note on the packaging to let your giftee know it's from you and how you thought they would enjoy our stuff! Everything we ship comes from our office in Toronto not a fancy fulfillment sorta place. Does photoED do refunds? Sorry, we just can't. Between postage and bank transaction fees, we just can't. But if anything changes for you, or an issue occurs, we do our absolute best to make things right. We respect our customers. Who creates photoED magazine? photoED magazine is independently published by Rita Godlevskis and a crew of new and regular collaborators. Find out more about our editorial curatorial team HERE. PATREON PATRONS, subscribers and select advertisers collectively fund the creation of original editorial content with integrity, printed with high quality production values. Advertising with photoED magazine photoED magazine does not 'sell advertising,' We’re content partners that connect the brands we love with the readers and contributors we cherish. We don't do click bait or promotions for products or services that do not align with our readers interests. Our readers are sophisticated and we do not wish to serve them irrelevant junk. We help brands create connections and value through our print and digital platforms. Every brand and budget is unique, so every partner we work with is offered a bespoke promotional package that serves their goals & budget, and our readers equally. Get in touch to receive our media kit for general rates and production dates and deadlines. How do I get my photography published in photoED magazine? We always have opportunities going for photographers at any level! Our upcoming print edition themes and information on what we're working on is posted HERE. For single image and short series works, we use online platforms for submission calls so that our JURY can review work easily from wherever they are across Canada. Please do not send images for jury consideration via email. We welcome writers and photographers feature proposals that align with our editorial plans. Inquiries for such feature proposals may be sent via email. Please note, as a small independent publisher, we usually work 6-9 months in advance of our press dates to ensure that every artist and collaborator is pleased with our productions. Sign up to our news/ read the print magazine/ read the digital edition/ follow us on social media/ check out the info on our website to stay in the loop! Does it cost $ to be published in photoED magazine? No. photoED magazine is NOT a pay-to-play business. We publish work we are excited to share and invest our professional resources to make our contributors works and words shine. Although some of our featured artists are also community supporters, this is not a requirement or consideration when we are putting together our editorial packages. Does photoED magazine pay contributors? Yes, photoED magazine offers small artist honorariums to Canadian contributors, dependent on a variety of factors. Each case is unique and each budget for each edition varies. Although CARFAC rates are still out of reach for our budget, we offer contributors printed copies of the publication (inc postage) and all our editorial support, working collaboratively to showcase artists work. We take our work seriously, and approach every artist at any level of their experience with the same respect. We do not commission new works and currently only publish existing projects. Does publishing with photoED magazine restrict my work? Submitting to PhotoED Magazine does not transfer any rights of ownership - the photographer retains full rights. We do not ask for exclusivity and the photographer is free to submit the image to any other publication/ project or exhibition. The owner of the photographs allows us the rights to publish and promote their work with credit, on our print and digital platforms. By submitting, the photographer acknowledges that they have full rights to the images and has obtained proper releases where warranted.

PhotoED Magazine shares the stories behind photographers work. Emerging AND established photographers can get published with us! SHARE YOUR WORK WITH US IN PRINT photoED magazine is published 3 X / year in print editions, released in: MARCH + AUGUST + NOVEMBER In addition reviewing work through our Open CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS, we also welcome feature article pitches from writers. Short synopsis of the idea, links to further information, and an explanation of which of the themes the feature idea relates to may be sent to the editor at any time. Content considered for the print editions must align with the themes listed below. We HIGHLY recommend reading a full print or digital replica of our most recent edition in advance of sending us your pitch. This research step will assist YOU in determining if your work is a fit for our publication. photoED print edition THEMES - 2025 MEMORY. Fall 2025. Submissions closed. Photography that looks backwards to move forward. MOVEMENT. Winter 2026. Open Call - HERE Community, momentum, motion. 2026 - A year of contrasts Now accepting feature story proposals on these themes: Order VS Chaos Home VS Away Real VS Imagined WRITERS TAKE NOTE: photoED magazine aims to be a welcoming space where understanding of art is accessible to everyone. Please draft text with this awareness. We use language that respects all our readers and is accessible and understood by all. No formal academic writing please. Connect with the EDITOR: rita@photoed.ca Small print: Submitting to PhotoED Magazine does not transfer any rights of ownership - the photographer retains full rights. We do not ask for exclusivity and the photographer is free to submit the image to any other publication/ project or exhibition. The owner of the photograph allows us the rights to publish and promote their work with credit, on our print and digital platforms . By submitting, the photographer acknowledges that they have full rights to the images and has obtained proper releases where warranted.

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