If you've been reading my Save Your Photos posts for the past 17 days, you will understand by now that I am indeed a fan of writing and documenting and storytelling. So, today's words of photo wisdom might seem to completely contradict what I've been preaching.
Let me slant it this way...
I know a lot of people who rarely take photos - as I was snapping away, attempting to capture every single kid on the swim team at a high school meet, other parents sat calmly in the bleachers reading magazines, or chatting away with friends. I was always amazed that they didn't have a camera at the ready every second! So even though we have photo taking tools at our fingertips, many people still don't take them. It's not that those people don't enjoy photos or wouldn't love looking at a photo album, they are just not programmed to be shutter bugs. So to those people I will encourage many exposures - which for them is at the very least a few more than zero.
Likewise, when I have suggested writing voluminous and eloquent descriptions in story form to accompany every photo (LOL), I know there are a lot of folks out there who just won't do that. Their eyes have rolled and they have clicked away to the next blog.
So - let your words be few, but at least let there be that few.
For you who don't like writing, hate your handwriting, are reminded of horrible days in the classroom forced to put pen to paper, okay, I get it.
I spent many nights with the photo album ladies who attended the workshops at my house begging them to document SOMETHING in writing. I even gave them prizes if they "journaled" on a page after putting the photos on it. I had to redefine journaling for them. Captions - facts - basics - names - dates.
I know we all think that a vacation or event is so amazing that we will remember the name of the great restaurant where we ate or will easily visit the same tour company we used. But, alas, we forget. The details dim over time - even for those of us who are detail-minded. And so, little bits and pieces of our lives disappear.
Thus, I stress and I beg - that if you are the memory keeper in your household and your forget to take photos and hate to write about them, pull out a photo album that you have - sit in a comfy chair, relax. Look through the album, enjoy it - savor the memories. Think how you feel about having those photo memories... and then, encourage yourself to make more of them - the kind that can live on so that you and many others can enjoy that same feeling.
At least if you won't write paragraphs - write a word.
At least if you aren't a photo fanatic - click your phone a few times.
You will be glad you did.
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