I take a lot of pictures. A lot, as in
a bunch,
a bundle,
an abundance,
oodles,
a copious amount,
gobs, a load,
a ton,
a mountain of photos
…everywhere I go.
I just can’t help myself. When I am in a new place, I think I make others tired just from watching me point & shoot a zillion times.
For me, taking photos is more than just capturing moments to remember this particular day. It’s really about not buying shitty souvenirs.
Guys, I used to seriously love me some trinkets. Everywhere I went, I would buy things. I would try to find things that were “really functional”, like a sweatshirt or cute luggage tags or jewelery or writing paper. You know, things I would actually, umm, use.
But then I realized a consistency: I would waste money, making purchases at the wrong time. Just because I found a seemingly functional souvenier {It’s a Saturday in July: I totally need to buy this adorable scarf! It will look so good when I am spring skiing with my colored fleece next year!} doesn’t mean I this very moment is the right time to buy it. I don’t wake up the morning we are going out in Paris to see the Eiffel Tower & walk through le Jardin de Tuileries thinking how much I need a new pair of studs. {“These earrings are so versitile. I’ll be able to wear them with everything – they are work appropriate, but still “fun”, you know what I mean?”}
My point: Photographs are the best souvenirs ever.
But lately I’ve realized, if they just pile up on my external hard drive, it’s kind of the same result as buying that shitty souvenir.
I am so indecisive & critical of my photography, I can never decide which pictures I want to frame. I spend too much time thinking and not enough time doing. And not just with pictures, but decisions in general. I tend to ”save” things for later that I am really looking forward to, and sometimes that means I never get around to enjoying/doing/having/watching/creating…those things.
So here’s to more decision making: because I can always take the frame down & replace the picture.
Like these. Last night PAB & I finally hung some frames in our bedroom. End result? Snaps from Paris // Barcelona // Madrid // Prague // Lisbon linger in the air…inspiring us to continue to travel & take advantage of our time here in Europe. {And let’s not overlook the fact that we no longer have a pile of unopened frames in our living room either.}
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