I don't know how to develop a photographic memory and really don't want one. My understanding is that it's great for quoting figures, information and data but absolutely horrid for integrating that information into a useful form. If you want one, all I can say is good luck and I hope you are pleased with what you get.
When I was in 8th grade and my sister in 7th, my dad enroled both of us and himself in a speed reading class. At the end of the class my sister tested at 250,000 wpm and I tested at 125,000 wpm. I don't remember what my dad did or my sisters comprehension level. My comprehension tested at about 70%. Having said all that, I also am not sure of the validity of the tests that were given for measuring speed and comprehension. We were supposed to get some cards saying that we completed the system that had our test results printed on them, but there was a falling out between the teacher and the organization and the teacher kept our money instead of sending it to the organization. He said they ripped him off so it was ok that he kept our money. Oh well, what can you do about it when you're a 13 year old kid? I digress, sorry. The system was hard to use as it was very fatiguing both physically and mentally and I didn't like the way I felt after finishing a reading session. For those reasons (and a few others) I abandoned the system. My did my dad and sister did as well for thier own reasons. PRing is much more comfortable and relaxing. It's actually fun to go through a book and now I look foreward to reading. I used to dread reading text books and couldn't understand how some people seemed to enjoy reading them. It used to take me a couple of weeks to read through a 400 page novel. Now I can get through that same novel in about 2-3 hours with better comprehension.
PR does incorporate some techniques that are found in speed reading courses. The difference is that with PR, the experience of reading is a relaxed affair where you decide at what level of comprehension you want or need. You keep playing with the material until you get where you want to be (usually in at most 1/3 the time that it used to take you to get the same comprehension). In my opinion, PR is a far better way to read than speed reading.
Lets try a little example. Lets say that you have a book that has 150,000 words that you want to read, and lets say that you can speed read that book at 5,000 wpm. Also we will say that you will be able to continue reading until you are through the book (non-stop). So you prepare to speed read (4-5 minutes), read the book (30 minutes), and you're finished. Do you have the level of comprehension that you want? I never did when I was speed reading. I always had to make several passes through the book to get the meaning I wanted (and was fatigued when I finished). When you finish that book and take a 10 minute break, can you then sit down and do it again, and again, and again...all day long if you wanted? I could only manage about four sessions per day maximum because I was so taxed when I finished one session. With PR I can go through as many books as I want to all day long if I desire to do so and not feel exhausted when finished. When I finish a PR session I actually feel refreshed and exhilerated, ready to go for another round.
Right now I couldn't tell you even one story that I read using speed reading. I do remember several books that I have PR since I started learning the system and I expect that the information from the text books that I PR will always be available. I have had some instances of spontaneous activation about something that I PR and it was similar to knowing something all my life. Kinda like reciting the address of the house that you lived in for 20 years. You don't remember where or how you learned the address, you just know that it's true. The same as you know that if you touch a hot iron you'll get burned. That's the best way I can describe the experience of spontaneous activation.
Hope this helps to clear up a few of your questions.
Sincerely,
Gregory
