I know, I know, I've blogged several times about how I'm a failure at persisting with any sort of journaling at all. It is true, I don't write down my feelings and dreams and all that
But a visual journal instead is just that- visual without words. One pastes into a blank journal either one's own photos or pictures from magazines etc that we like or want to try or in some way connect with. Over time one begins to see what a person likes, what subjects are gravitated to, colors, composition, subject etc.
On Facebook, which is one big photo album, let's be honest, I see over time one wife who posts herself and her kids but never her husband. Over time, looking at lots of photos I see another person likes to take photos of landscapes and rarely photographs people. In another example where a DVD slide show was made as a gift, someone remarked, "Gee, there are a lot of photos of her and me together". I noticed that too.
If I can see patterns and trends in other people's pics, then what would I be able to learn about myself if I consistently placed photos of interest into my journal over time and then looked at them all at once?
My next task was to obtain a journal. I browsed Amazon but the artist's sketch journals were too expensive. Then I though, hey, check my OWN shelves to see what would suit. I spent years making blank journals and I have certainly not used them or or given them all away yet. So, I found this:
Believe it or not, this was originally a placemat. Now it is the cover of a large-sized soft cover journal I'd made out of it. I found it at the Lubec Maine Annual Fourth of July Historical Society Yard Sale 12 years ago! Here it is unfolded-
Here's the inside:
The fact that the cover is cloth will allow me to be able to close the journal after I've glued lots of pics inside. Spine size won't be that much of a problem. The page size allows for gluing several photos on one page. And the fact that I made it and already owned it meant I didn't have to spend money on getting a new one!
Now all I have to do is remember to print out pics I like, and buy more ink for the printer.
Another idea I implemented from the Photography Book that turned out to be a success was a combination of two ideas. I learned about the 2 inch insta-printers one can plug into your camera or phone and the zero-ink technology allows for cute little pics to be printed on the spot. The other idea was to make a display of photos, printing and laminating them and then hanging.
The author reminded us old folks how fun the Polarioid pictures were. We had an instant reminder of the fun and a permanent souvenir. The author said a zero-ink ("ZINK") insta-printer is especially fun for kids' birthday parties, the children love to see their pics right away. No one prints out pictures anymore. They stay in the camera or on the laptop or in the phone. So I decided as a gift to print out all the pics I could find on her Facebook page in 2" format, laminate them, and put them in a little box with a quote about memories on the top. It was pleasantly received. It didn't take too long to do and I think I will do it again sometime.
So far the book The Creative Photographer by Catherine Anderson has proved to be very useful and informative!
1 comment:
The day you posted this, Sunday, I had just been talking about Lubec that very morning to someone at church! A sister was telling me about an old military barracks somewhere around here that has been converted to a hostel, and I was telling her about the Coast Guard station in Lubec that has been converted to an inn of sorts. That was our last trip around Maine before we moved away, and it was perfect in all its foggy loveliness. :)
Post a Comment