perhaps it's a signal to be more deliberate about more things we do
Straight from the title of my blog, in a way. Slow down. Be present. Don't always think about the future or how something might look to someone else. Just experience it.
I loved your tangent.
The first time my family had a camera, we didn't really have a camera. My brother, who lived with my grandmother because he was ill, came over with a Brownie. He took pictures of us when we were in the field next to our house. I think he was lonely and he wanted to bring us back to my grandmother's with him. I didn't see those pictures for years, but they are among the very few I have of my childhood.
So yes, picture-taking was a big deal.
Funny how culture evolves.