Answer:
For soldiers, photography introduced a new mode of collecting memories; a picture is able to recall exactly what the photographer wanted to remember. Pictures, by default, become a record of the photographer’s personal history, rich with both biographical and motivational factors. It is of no surprise then, that as soldiers shipped off to fight in World War I, they carried with them their personal cameras in order to record their experiences. Soldiers snapped pictures whenever possible, despite the disapproval of their senior ranking officers, in order to return with a collection of memories. The photos offered proof of the struggles they faced, atrocities they witnessed, relationships they built, and people they helped.