Photo Lists
I was trying to remember something this week, and I wondered if it was written down in an old journal, so I started to thumb through old journals and found one that contained entries from three early trips: a road trip to Canada, Paris, and London.
But what struck me was that in the back of the journal, from the final page moving toward the front, I had written down notes on every photo I took. There were only 24 or 36 photos on a roll of film (though it looked like I must have been able to squeeze an additional one or two onto a roll because I had some lists that stated 26 or 38 photos), so the lists weren’t long. And I only took between two to four rolls on each trip.
But I wrote down notes because I wouldn’t see those photos for weeks. How would I remember that this was a “beautiful building on Rue Rivoli across from the Louvre” three weeks later when I finally developed the picture? The difference today is that you see photos instantly, so you start building those memories from the image instantly. In the olden days, we saw something once, and then we had a long period of time before we saw an image of it again.
It was just funny to find the lists. Even funnier to read about our “romantic kisses over the Seine.”
5 comments
How lovely to find the photo lists. Yes, travel photography now is very different, isn’t it? No need to eke out the photos because the film is running out. And even if I forget a place, I can circle the photo on my phone and search to get details. I do that a lot after travelling now, but it’s still why I make photobooks. I’d hate to have it only on my phone.
Sometimes when we were/are travelling, I’d write notes in my datebook about the places we went that day, etc. And then check back as a refresher. When I used to get prints made, I would write on the backs almost as soon as I got them, and put them into albums. (Then I got behind, and I have about 8 years worth of photos to label & put in albums… sigh…!). With digital photos, I download photos (these days, from my phone) onto my laptop at regular intervals (I have a monthly reminder set), and sort them into photos based on date & labelled with the event or the place we were at, etc. It’s not quite as good as writing on the back, but it helps. The photos get backed up to Google Photos automatically, and I also back them up from my laptop onto an external hard drive. I’m slightly paranoid when it comes to photos…! (I still have all my negatives from my film camera days, too!)
(Oops, I meant that I sort the photos into FOLDERS!)
I just took photos and hoped for the best when they got developed. But I had a good memory then…
That is so sweet, kisses over the Seine! I was never that organized, an he too often my photos had fingers in the frame or were blurry, before we had this glorious technology.