Yes they are categorised into places at least, and I have started the task of deleting duds or double-ups (admit you know what I am talking about), but surely these memories are worthy of more attention. When I look at them I remember that day, that place, that heat (spain) or damp cold (cornwall). I remember what inspired me to take the photo - well in most cases.
As an aside, the more photos I take, the more I understand that some sights are just not, well, photographable. Well at least not by me and my trusty lumix. Even with my 25mm wide angle, I can't always capture the impression of the scene in front of me, the scope, the light, the feeling of being there. I think that must be what makes professional photographers professsional. The combination of 'seeing' just what to photograph and then knowing how to manipulate a camera, deal with lighting etc, to capture the feeling of the image.
Back to the point, we have now passed the one year mark in Luxembourg and I can't help but remember many of the experiences of our first few weeks here. And I remember all the things I took photos of then. Most of them are still worthy of that honour. (In fact, the reason I bought the pocket Lumix was so that I could have a camera on hand (or more specifically in hand-bag) if I wanted it to snap my time away).
All of this leads me to wondering, in this age where we can collect memories so much more easily, do we remember more than we did before? Are we changing ourselves by recording our lives and experiences in greater detail? We literally covered so much ground in July that if we hadn't photographed it all, I fear that there are things we would not remember. Perhaps one could argue they were not worthy of remembering, but the photos tell a different story.
Maybe it depends on what you take photos of. We saw many people taking photos of signs or of people posed 'stategically' to block out the main scene which made no sense to us. I'm guessing that those photos will generate memories of "that's me on holiday somewhere" rather than a memory of what they saw. At least they will remember they had a holiday, whereas while I remember seeing places, I failed to capture much proof that I was there. On the occasions when we did click a pic of ourselves, I am almost surprised to see how happy we looked - we were actually enjoying ourselves, and not just on an expedition. And that image of us smiling tells me that we had a good time, even if I remember being tired or hot and the pressure of trying to see the world in a day. So I'm sure that this photo taking habit does have the power to influence me at least. I'm not sure what my photos will do for you.
Finally, this is really just an excuse to show you more photos from my trove of 1238. These ones are from Andalucia, a place that did make me very happy. I'm sure it had something to do with that wonderful daily expanse of blue (which has been sorely missing back here in Luxembourg!).
