Photography isn't a necessity for human beings. After all, we've been photographing for just a couple centuries and the species did just fine before that.

We need water, we need food, we need to sleep. But we don't need to photograph.

Why do we photograph, then? What's the point?

To be playful

Humans aren't the only playful animals, but we definitely take it to another level. Physical play makes us stronger. Intellectual play increases our capacity to imagine, improves our cognitive process and makes us smarter.

Our body knows that play is beneficial for us. That's why we feel joy when we photograph, the body is begging for more.

To tell stories

The ability to tell stories played a key role in human evolution, and it's one of the reasons for our success.

Our language was developed as a quick and accurate way to share information, but humans have always favored a visual medium: our ancestors were already painting in caves long before the first word was spoken.

A picture is worth 1,000 words, they say.

Photography is the perfected version of those ancient paintings, another visual way to tell stories.

My favorite kind of stories are the invented ones, fairy tales, fiction: the worlds we create with photography that don't really exist. Fiction photography.

To remember

Finally, we photograph to remember. Our brain is an incredible machine but struggles to bring back memories even if we want it to. It isn't the most reliable hard drive.

But with a little help, all of those memories and feelings can be brought back.

That's why we hold on to old photos of loved ones who have passed away. They feel real, they make us remember, they bring memories back.

It’s who we are

We photograph because we want to share something. We photograph because we like to create. We photograph so we don't forget.

Above all, we photograph because that's who we are.