Nothing is better than living vicariously through all of our Facebook friends and Instagram followers who travel to places we’ve all dreamed of going. We add places to our ever growing “bucket list”; places we may actually go, and others that are a long shot, in reality.
My husband travelled for his job for many, many years. I could probably more easily list the major places he hasn’t been, faster than listing all the places he has. Difficult work (really – he gets personally greeted on the plane for being a “million miler” yes, that’s a thing…) (Think back to one time you were frustrated on an airplane or in an airport, and imagine how soon the excitement fades for those that do it all the time.)
So, I’m a photographer and he’s not. But before cell phones I would beg him to take a little point and shoot camera so I could see some of the sights of where he had been. I only travelled with him a few times overseas, we had 3 kids and not a lot of family to take them if I were to be away, and didn’t live in an area where nannies were a thing.
Once the internet arrived – my wishes came true and I got to see a photo he sent in an email from earlier in the day. It wasn’t just of the scenery, he was IN the photo. It took my breath away. There he was, with co-workers and colleagues, smiling in a group photo at an ancient temple on the other side of the world. It had never really hit me how far away he actually was until that moment. I will always remember that feeling. I was in awe of the beauty and architecture around him but more so, because he was right there with it. He got to BE there. He had spent countless hours preparing, lots of money was spent to get he and his colleagues there, and it was good for client relations to meet face to face.
He will always have that photo. We will always have that photo. Not of just the temple and the beautiful flora surrounding it, but of HIM, THERE.
Now, I’m not trying to make you feel bad, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE seeing your travel pictures more than you realize (again, mainly because I get a peek into the experiences you’re having, and it helps me think about going there, etc.) Take one to frame, but take one with you or you and whomever you are with, IN the photo.
It’s a lot more fun and engaging to see your smiling face when a “memory” on Facebook pops up or you curl up with your kids and grandkids to look through a photo album – either in hand or online.
Go for the photo that gets the reaction “Wow, you were actually THERE!”
I can tell you right now, as a Mom and Grandma, the kids flip or scroll right past the photos of scenery or buildings and almost always stop on the photos with people in them. Go for the photo that gets the reaction “Wow, you were actually THERE!”
Of course, I’m preaching to the choir when it comes to our kids (anyone born after 1996…)
They are the inventors of selfies and influencing and product placement and all things social. We should take a few notes from them! Ha – my only advice to them would be get more of the background in your photos so we can see where you actually are!! (The opposite problem!)
Yes, when my kids look back at what they looked like, their braces faces, the clothes they wore and cringe, they may laugh (or cry), but think of the years of memories they have with friends and family. They still (mostly) get the landmarks, the beautiful scenery in the background of where they might be. But more importantly, their beautiful faces are there.
And Mom, I am talking to YOU, here. If you are always *behind* the camera, who takes YOUR picture? My kids and now granddaughter have never once said, “Oh Mom, your hair that day….hmmm” or “How much did you weigh?” Or “what were you wearing??” Ok well maybe the comments about the outfits and the hair haha. (Think 80’s big hair). They just want to see YOU, their siblings, their cousins, their Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. They ask “who looks like me, who liked the same things I liked? Was I more like Mom’s side or Dad’s?”
Recently, I found an album of digital photos on FB from about 10 years ago. Our friends had visited from 500+ miles away and we were showing them around our town. We went to a local park with a memorable landmark. Me, being the photographer, had a ball taking photos of everyone. Everyone – except me, that is. To my disappointment, there was ONE photo of me with the big group. 🙁 I’m glad I was at least in that one. But I was kind of sad I didn’t think to ask anyone to grab my camera and take some of me with our friends and their kids.
During the pandemic, I had some time to use a little gadget to scan in and digitize a large collection of my father’s slides. Thankfully, my Dad made a few notes on each box or carousel of the year and the trip or event. I remember vividly sitting in front of the projector and slide projector screen and turning off the lights, the smell of the heat from the projector, and watching the dust fly around above the little bit of light that spilled out at the top, the sound of it getting jammed and the laughter when a slide was upside down.
Now – we may shush everyone as someone connects their phone to the tv and wait while someone scrolls to a set of photos to share, or we may not be together and share them on social media or in a shared album.
However you do it, think – when you travel, what you’d give to find a bunch more photos of your loved ones in all their travel photos “being real” 😉 being themselves, taking selfies and pointing to where they are, a photo of themselves with their foodie finds – don’t be shy, let’s get going and GET IN YOUR PHOTOS.
