I love my digital camera and I love my cell phone camera. If anyone had told me eight years ago when I first got my digital camera that I would carry it everywhere and take pictures almost every day I would have laughed. I'd had my own camera since college, but I was pretty much a vacation and "times of your life" photographer. When I first heard about cameras in phones I was perplexed. Why did anyone need a phone with a camera? Obviously I'm not the technological visionary. Someone saw the future and I came along for the ride, happily so.
But one drawback to going digital is not having photographs. I haven't made an actual copy of a photograph in three years. I have two pictures I am carrying around to make copies and I keep walking past every drugstore. In my pre-digital days I loved developing film. I got so excited to pick up my pictures -- or check my mail for the package of photographs -- and I always chose a second copy of the prints as my bonus. It was expensive and often half of a roll of film was laughable, at best, but I always found one picture to treasure and display.
Two things spurred these thoughts. This afternoon I went to Tim's wake and there was a wonderful slide show of Tim and his family. I'd never seen a slide show at a wake, but it was terrific to see pictures of Tim beginning with elementary school and going through last year. There was Marine Tim in Vietnam, Tim and Dot's wedding photo, Tim holding his first born and retired Tim and Dot relaxing in Florida. Dot told us that she loved photographs and many of the photos were ones she had on display in their home.
As I clean out my office I've also been going through photos. I've got a lot of recent pictures of my work friends on my computer, but the actual photos end around six years ago. We took a lot of pictures over the years and I've so enjoyed looking at our younger selves, and not on the computer.
It's time for me to start developing pictures. It may even be time to start making albums again, actual physical albums, and looking at the people I care about most in actual physical pictures. Glossy or matte?
And just for fun, to get the memory processes going I'm going into my first picture folder on my computer and picking one picture to share.
But one drawback to going digital is not having photographs. I haven't made an actual copy of a photograph in three years. I have two pictures I am carrying around to make copies and I keep walking past every drugstore. In my pre-digital days I loved developing film. I got so excited to pick up my pictures -- or check my mail for the package of photographs -- and I always chose a second copy of the prints as my bonus. It was expensive and often half of a roll of film was laughable, at best, but I always found one picture to treasure and display.
Two things spurred these thoughts. This afternoon I went to Tim's wake and there was a wonderful slide show of Tim and his family. I'd never seen a slide show at a wake, but it was terrific to see pictures of Tim beginning with elementary school and going through last year. There was Marine Tim in Vietnam, Tim and Dot's wedding photo, Tim holding his first born and retired Tim and Dot relaxing in Florida. Dot told us that she loved photographs and many of the photos were ones she had on display in their home.
As I clean out my office I've also been going through photos. I've got a lot of recent pictures of my work friends on my computer, but the actual photos end around six years ago. We took a lot of pictures over the years and I've so enjoyed looking at our younger selves, and not on the computer.
It's time for me to start developing pictures. It may even be time to start making albums again, actual physical albums, and looking at the people I care about most in actual physical pictures. Glossy or matte?
And just for fun, to get the memory processes going I'm going into my first picture folder on my computer and picking one picture to share.
Santiago de Compostela, Spain, June 2006
12 comments
I haven't had a photo printed out in ages! My mom still does, though. She likes to keep them in albums and displayed on frames all over the house.
One of the first things I did after I retired was to make photo albums for each of my sons. And then the oldest scanned them all into Picasa. Lol
You are so right about this. Technological as we are there was something sweet about a photo album that digital ones don't have.
It is interesting how life and death can make you look at things from a totally different perspective. I sure do need to go through all my old pictues, too and weed out the good ones from the icky ones, and put them in some sort of order.
I don't get photos printed very often, but when I do it is a treasure.
I'm like all of you too. I haven't printed out any pictures in ages and have them all on the computer. Sometimes I save them on disks for a back up but have lost a few over the years.
Hey Carol, For the life of me, I cannot find an email address on your blog. I'm not sure if we can make it happen for us to connect while we are in NY, but I'd sure like to try. Send me an email at the address found on the About Me page of my blog and I'll respond with the dates we are going to be in the city. Thanks for the tip about The High Line. We didn't know about it and are for sure, going to check it out! We're headed to the Walt Whitman Historic Site today, so would be this evening before I respond to your email!
Yes, that's a problem with digital photographs. You've mentioned an area I need to consider putting forth some effort as well - developing some pictures! Of course, after they are added to the computer, it's always possible to print them off - assuming the correct communication is possible between those two pieces of technology.:-)
I know what you mean - sometimes I wish I could hold them and touch them and put them in a book sometimes! sandie
I am making prints of some photos I have taken, for my granddaughter. She has a school project, where she is flat Savannah(like flat Stanley). She gets mailed to people who take photos of her on vacation or to dinner or, as I have done, climbing trees and visiting goats. She will have many small albums of this.Savannah lets all her friends and family see these albums. But I too love my digital camera. xoxo,Susie
I have the best of both worlds, several years ago Mr. Ken bought
me my own Kodak Picture Printer and I love it!
Now when I need a pic off my card I just pop it in the picture printer and voila, I have the
picture right in front of me.
M :)
I take tons of pictures AND I love to still hold a picture in my hand:) Sometimes I sit and send a ton of pictures to Walmart's photo center... and go pick them up! It isn't very expensive and so worth it! Have a blessed day my friend, HUGS!
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