The Memory is What You Share, Not Just the Picture
A few years ago my husband attended a famous singer's concert. While he is a fan of this music icon, he was disappointed by the performance. Something was missing.
The musician sang his songs but he never said a word. He didn't share a single story about any of the songs he chose to sing that night. My husband would have loved to have heard where the song writer was when he wrote the song, or what the emotion was behind the lyrics.
Our photos can elicit the same feelings of dissatisfaction. The memory or feeling reflected in the photo is what you want to share
not just the picture. Why do you take pictures? There must have been a reason you shot that photo?
- When I talk to folks about their pictures, I ask them to consider the following questions:
- WHO Who is in the picture?
- WHAT What is in the picture?
- WHERE Where was the photo taken?
- WHEN When was the photo taken?
- WHY Why was the photo taken?
Once you can answer these, then there are two final questions. What is your memory of that photo and why is it important to you?
- So let's give it a whirl with this picture.
- Who? (No one is in this picture).
- Where? This picture was taken in the kitchen of the Neahtawanta Inn in Traverse City, Michigan www.neahtawantainn.com where my family has stayed with friends many times over the years.
- When? I took this photo last August during my family's summer vacation to Michigan.
- Why? I took this picture because I like signs, and this is one of my favorite and evokes great memories.
My memory of this photo
...Last summer, my husband and I took our 14 year old twins to Michigan to visit several people and places we know and love. We were nostalgic about the inn and wanted to show the kids one of our favorite places. This photo is important to me because it takes me back to times with friends: cooking, laughing and talking together in that kitchen. Seeing this picture makes me reconnect with those friends even if just in my mind. I think I just might call one of them for a quick hello and to let them know I was thinking about them.
Ah...
The power of photos. Got a photo you want to share?
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