The brain is an information processor. It has learned to interpret what it reads to store it for faster retrieval. If you had to rely on photographic memory it would be like storing the book on a PC to read when you want to understand it.
PhotoReading uses the brains natural ability to sort patterns ( which sequences of words are) into meaningful units of understanding. Until we learned to speak we had eidetic memories (photographic memory some people like to call it) Where the mind repaints exactly the image. Most children lose this ability by the time they are 12 because language allows for faster representation of stacks of data. Just like the word chair represents any seating place for a single behind in a home or office regardless of what it looked like.
PhotoReading is not a slowing down technique of having a eidetic memory (which is much like having to pick up the bookshelf and reading it for the first time). It's a speeding up of information processing by putting it into your long term memory first where it is sorted by the preconscious processor. You'll remember the information once it has been called up much better than with traditional reading.
If you really wanted to memorise a book word for word page for page there are memorisation techniques that are fairly fast and with PhotoReading faster.
Alex
