Pictures That Tell a Story

Last night I was watching the Nate Berkus Show and there was a photographer (Me Ra Koh) with her book titled Your Baby in Pictures. She mentioned that we now take lots of digital pictures and they sit on our computers never seeing the light of day.

I'm kind of guilty in that I take lots of pics on my digital camera but don't print them out much. I do make digital scrapbooks of big trips and print out some of the photos on my printer to display on my bookshelf, but haven't done that for a long time. Sure there is Facebook and of course we post on on Blogs sometimes.

My point is that the lady mentioned how we should try to take pictures that tell a story. Her book gives a "recipe" for capturing the various stages of a babies life but can be extrapolated to all other ages. She showed a photo of her 6 yr old son reading under a blanket tent set up in the living room. That way he would remember how he used to build tents. Another was a picture of her daughter on the first day of school. She was sitting on the front porch tying her runners because the little girl thought she couldn't get into kindergarten if she didn't know how to tie her shoes. That picture will always tell that story as she goes through life. She mentioned how we display the grad photos and portraits as a point in time but that is all there is.

I started to think of some of my photos and a few do tell a story. A wedding photo I have shows me with a big smile but what I remember is that I had just tripped over a big rock on the way into the reception and DH had caught my arm. The photographer snapped at that exact moment. It looks like a happy couple, but I remember tripping.

I also remember a photo my aunt had of my 10 year old cousin taken on "Picture Day" at school. This was before digital. When the photos arrived there was a fly, smack dab on his nose. It was funny. And a photo I remember. He died a month ago but I always remember that fly sitting on his nose. I have cute pictures of my kids and memories of the day come flooding back. Those are the ones that hold a special place in my heart.

Photos remind us of places where we have been, people we know and a feeling comes flooding back. I am going to try to take more story photos. I hope you too can find those photos that hold a special place in your heart. A photo that will live forever and one that the family will talk about over and over again.

This photo was taken in Dunedin, New Zealand. We walked from our hotel down a big hill to a brewery in the rain. When we couldn't get a tour we entered the attached pub and I ordered the Ploughman's lunch and this is what I got. This was pre-band and is now just a memory. No way could I ever eat that much anymore. Although the beer would probably go down.

I think I might get the book. I might not have babies of my own anymore, but I think it will be helpful to try to capture something more than a simple picture. I'll be looking for the story when I snap away. May all your pictures tell a story.

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