Do you think that Michael loves photography?
Do you think he collects different style and era cameras? Do you think his favorite is any type of camera that uses photographic film?
Michael loves developing film, and has a dark room dedicated to it in his and Adam’s apartment.
Michael is always wearing a camera around his neck and he’s always taking pictures of Adam. He has enough pictures of Adam to fill up a city bus three times over.
Adam loves when Michael takes pictures, he poses and models and puts on whatever kind of show Michael wants him to.
The resulting pictures are silly and fun, full of life, and full of adam’s personality. That’s why Michael loves them so much.
That’s why Michael takes so many. That’s why Michael keeps them all, even the blurry ones. That’s why Michael dedicates so much time to his hobby.
Michael loves photography in spite of the fact he has no need for pictures.
His memory is eidetic, better than eidetic. It’s inhuman, extraordinary. He doesn’t require photographs to vividly recall events from long in the past as humans sometimes do. However, holding something physical, something he put time into, gives him such satisfaction that he loves photography; and Adam loves that Michael loves it.
He tells Michael about how “He’s acting more human-like.” and that “He’s going soft on him.”
Michael promptly denies these claims but the fact of the matter is, it’s true.
Since they became free, he has felt closer to Adam. He has understood what it is to be human, before he only had Adams memories and retellings, the real thing is so much more… intense.
Michael has enjoyed his days more than ever before, and he thinks something of lower life forms. Never before has he ever even given a thought to insect life, but photographing a delicate Monarch, or a sharp mantis puts these smaller life forms into perspective for him.
All the things he was never bothered to care about before, he sees now.
He feels now.
He loves now.