It is an interesting question – especially since I am helping people do their Life Story albums. One of the most common responses is “I have way too many photos and memorabilia and….on and on…plus they are scattered all over the place.”
Don’t get me wrong – I totally can relate to them!
It was a 2015 article that caught my eye, though, on this subject. It gave me a new perspective and led me to a more productive question.
I had first thought it was going to be something like what I have heard from many people — I quit taking photos because I have so many and have never done anything with them. Can’t even find them all. No use taking more.
No – this article brought up the point using the common picture of people whipping out a smartphone to snap a picture of a sunset that is too beautiful to forget, or surreptitiously snapping a photo of a particularly impressive dish at a restaurant.
As the article stated, it’s obvious that we document our lives to keep our memories from fading, but with such widespread use of camera phones (and a new device at that time, a mini camera that automatically took a picture every 30 seconds), you have to ask – how much is too much? Are we taking too many pictures?
Oops, they even had some research on this – from Linda Henkel, a psychology professor. Her research suggested that taking photos can actually impair your ability to recall details of the event later, despite – and likely because of – the effort spent taking excessive photos.
Huh?
Her 2014 study took students on a museum tour and asked them to take photos of certain works of art – and only observe others. When they were tested the next day, they were less able to remember details of objects they had photographed. This is what Henkel calls a “photo-taking impairment effect.”
She explained her thinking – we treat the camera as a sort of external memory device. We have this expectation that the camera is going to remember things for us, so we don’t continue processing that object and don’t engage in the memory about it.
However, big point– she did add that even if taking photos impairs our memory in the short-term, having those photos will help trigger us to remember things later down the line. Okay, there is some common sense being applied here, too. Whew!
But there has been a shift – first, from film to digital so lots more photos. But also “why” we take photos and “how” we use them.
More research – confirmed what many of us suspect – that the primary role of photography has shifted from commemorating special events and remembering family life, to a way of communicating to our peers, forming our own identity, and bolstering social bonds.
Okay, us older folks using digital cameras tend to use them as memory tools – really. I affirm that. But it seems the younger generations tend to use photos as a means of communication. It says “this is how I am feeling right here, right now” – just look at Snapchat.
There was a discussion about how life-logging through photos is rather overwhelming in the number of photos (as they experimented with it helping people who are losing their memory). Management of the number of photos was a major problem.
I can relate to the “management” issue. As can many people from whom I have heard as they want to know how to manage their overflowing photo boxes, and back-up devices full of digital images, etc.
So – how often should we take photos? Unless you are a professional, Henkel suggests limiting the amount of photos you allow yourself to take. Plus she says to be more selective in order to get more of the benefits with fewer of the potential costs.
Okay – and “how do we do that?” This leads me to my bigger question — Do you have a system for me?
Here is what Henkel said – “if you are on vacation and enjoying some beautiful site, take a couple of pictures and put the camera away and enjoy the site. Later, go through them, organize them, print them out, and take the time to reminisce with other people. Those are all things that help keep memories alive.”
She obviously does not live in my house or interact in my life experience!
Somehow, that has just not been my experience – truly. Too many times I have been standing for several minutes as someone is scrolling, scrolling, scrolling through their phone saying “have to show you this….wait, it is right here….I think… where is it….oh, here it is…no, that was……” and they never can find it.
Plus – true confession — my photos are waiting for a “system” to get them organized.
I go back to my grandfather and his Brownie camera. Thank heavens he used it because we have some special photos passed down from him – all his young buddies in a half circle, dressed in suits, standing (yes, standing) on their saddles on their horses. I asked about it – he says they were just “showing off”. Too funny! And more from his and his father’s ranching days – great pics with stories behind them. But all his photos fit in a shirt box. Yep, he went through them with me when he was in his later years. Amazing.
And then there was my mother’s system — throw everything you want to keep (printed photos mostly) in a dresser drawer in your bedroom. Then when you are bedridden, in your late 70’s, paste them in unsafe photo albums (there were 7 or 8 volumes) and hope you get them in a semblance of the right chronological order (which kid is this?)… and only when your daughter goes through the albums with you forcing you to name the people and places and topics do you share that information. Not a system I recommend.
So I went to a person whose career is in helping other people get organized – and helps them de-clutter. She, Andrea Dekker, says that photos are usually part of the problem (sometimes most of the problem). We are overly sentimental about photos and want to keep every single one of them.
She gets at least 2 or 3 emails a week from women who are completely overwhelmed with the idea of digitizing ALL their photos for the last 30, 40, 50, 60 or even 70 years. But they have no idea where to start, so they do nothing. (sounds familiar to me!)
She shares a great story about how they digitized and organized their photos – and yes, it includes getting rid of a lot of them. Especially after the digitizing.
But her best advice was about how to start managing things today, right now. And this was the “system” that I found very helpful to me.
So, I am sharing it with you – and giving you my modification of it. She is a young mother with kids still in the home – I have grandkids who are all teens! It’s a bit different.
First – the mindset. She says to push all your overwhelming thoughts and feelings about the photos from past years out of your brain and simply focus on this year’s photos. Cool! She says once you do this, you might be surprised how quick and easy it is to actually get going with this system – it might just be hard for you to stop!
Ok – sign me up.
She has a Monthly Photo Checklist – it is her thought process for taking certain photos in the first place….a mental checklist of sorts for what pictures she wants to take each month. Believe it or not, she says it is very useful and helps to simplify the process of choosing what photos will go in her yearly family albums. She loves lists – and this is a SHORT mental list – but results in not so many photos as to be overwhelming.
- 1 nice family picture
- 1 picture of the front of our house (to show how it changes through the years and seasons)
- 2-3 photos of all 4 children together
- 2-4 good photos of each child individually (at least 1 close-up)
- 3-4 photos of various house and yard projects
- 1-4 pictures of any special event, holiday, vacation, birthday party, etc. (if applicable)
I had to do some modifying since I don’t see my grandkids daily – and we just don’t focus much on house and yard projects these days. If it is helpful to you, here is my modified Monthly Photo Checklist which I will be testing out:
- 1 pic of us (together or individually)
- 1-2 of exterior of house/grounds, wildlife or view off deck (I LIVE on my deck)
- 1 of an interior of house (seasonal, projects or daily life demo)
- 2-4 photos of each family with gkids (grab from texts or FB if none in person) group or individuals
- 1-4 of special event, holiday, birthday, travel, visitors
- 1-4 of friends, koinonia, church, activities, and gkid sports/activities
So, what is on your Monthly Photo Checklist? I did find I am already looking at my photos to see if I have something for these categories – and we just started into this month!!
Hope you can benefit from a “system” of your own!
