Memories are made of this

What makes a memory?  If you have followed me for a while, you will know that I believe that photographs are physical memories, which is why they are so important in our lives.  Our memory is fallible; what we remember is colored by our later experiences and may not be at all accurate.  When you gather for the holidays, do you get into a contest with family over what year you went to Disney or who was present at a family event?   A photograph can help to "prove a point" but, even better, it can spark a cascade of memories and "do you remembers".

While my husband and I were in New Zealand, with the cat boarded away from home, some field mice decided that our basement was a nice, warm place to live.  So far, we have killed five and my husband had located the entry point and neutralized it!  The battle continues, but all this has triggered a storm of cleaning.  We are going through the basement and opening boxes that have been there untouched for thirty years!  Among the first things we found were three carousels full of slides!  Neither of us remembers where they came from but along with some forgettable landscapes, there are family pictures from 1979 and 1980 which are priceless!  Then I found some grade school photos of my kids, both now in their 40s.  Do you remember the packets of photos you had to pre-order to get enough prints for all the relatives?  That's what I found, with a dozen unused wallet sized prints of each kid!  Who knows what other treasures lie hidden in those boxes!  Maybe I will find the missing video tape of my sister's wedding!

With cell phone cameras getting better and better, there is really no excuse not to take pictures of your life.  Last week, I did a talk for a local group about taking better pictures, with the emphasis on cell phone photography. Just because the "film" is free, doesn't mean the pictures have to be disposable.  The camera you always have with you can take some great pictures if you know how to use it.  I shared some tips about settings, but also about posing, lighting and composition, which could be useful with any camera. 

There is something about the approaching cold weather holidays that makes us look back. So maybe this is a good time to dust off the photo albums ready to share.  What about your videos, VHS tapes and reel to reel 8mm film? None of  these formats are permanent; magnetic tapes, such as VHS, lose their
recordings over time and 8mm film becomes brittle. That's IF you have the means to play them!  Have you thought of having them digitized so that you can see them again?  You are in luck!  Forever is running a special promotion through the end of November, digitizing videos for $15 each!  Wouldn't it be great to share those old videos with the family this winter?