We see out a portal. We are inside looking out and sometimes we put a camera in front of our portal. (I guess that makes it a portal portal.)
The world is out there and we look at it. When we photograph we’re recording what we see out there. Sometimes recording intently and other times just pushing a button.
Everything you photograph is part of your world, if only for an instant. You’re documenting it. You are showing the world what you saw and keeping a record of it.
Your photos are your history.