Photography and memory - is there room for both?

Re-reading WG Sebald's Austerlitz got me thinking about photography and memory...

Some photos become insignificant with age, whereas others make the moment more important than it felt at the time; arguably ageing into 'perfect pictures' reflecting 'perfect moments'. These photos come to influence our recollection of what happened - as the actual memories fade into the distance.

A tutor once asked us to visualise an early childhood memory, and consider how the image played out in our mind - did we re-experience it, or watch it happen from an outsider's perspective? For me it was the latter and when prompted i realised my parents have a photograph that captures the same moment. I've always longed for a better memory so it bothered me that I might not have many genuine childhood memories of my own! Only those associated with photographs. Does this mean that in 30 years time my twenties will be but a happy blur until my memory is jogged by a photo? I'll have to wait and see.

Supposing photographs weren't such a big part of my life: would I take more responsibility for my memory - take note and remember things better rather than posing for a picture, or taking a snapshot myself, so I can move on. Personal-history photos generally capture life-changing or enriching experiences, but if the act of taking a photograph means we bother less with the actual memories and they all fade into a blur, do they do more harm than good? Does photography make our memory lazy? Or am I just looking for excuses - reasons why the detail in some of my happiest memories is so sketchy?