At Home with Tech

I studied the framed European vacation photo hanging on the living room wall as I listened to the story behind it. It was a wonderful picture, but the narrative was even better.

My wife and I were visiting friends recently, and they were sharing their vacation experiences through the framed pictures in their home. I was hooked.

These photos displayed simple moments from their trips. Some featured public activity, but none showed the members of this family. The images were entirely anonymous, but still extremely personal. The key factor was the collection of rich personal stories that accompanied these photos. That’s what brought them to life.

From Snapshots to Stories: Rethinking Your Wall Art
The next day, my wife suggested that we might consider putting up a few more of our own travel photos in our home. She said that I had taken so many great pictures from our trips over the years. Why not pick several more to frame and hang? I agreed.

I said I would review our vacation photos and create a collection for us to choose from. And I did. But I was shocked by what I discovered.

You’re Actually Framing Stories
I found that most of our vacation photos I’ve been taking over the years weren’t going to work. That’s because they fell into two categories. 

• These pictures either featured me and my family. 
  
• Or they were my attempts at iconic shots from these cities (like you might find on a postcard).

Mostly missing was any location imagery that carried a story behind the moment.

As I looked at my pictures, the stories simply weren’t flowing.

Family Vacation Photos Can Quickly Get Dated
Sure, it’s easy to frame vacation photos with family in the shot. Of course, that tethers you to the point in time and location. And yes, I’ve already positioned some of those shots on our walls. But there’s a problem with this strategy.

Your kids grow up quick. So, if your photo is more than a couple years old, it’s going to feel dated. Maybe two or three older pictures on your walls are okay. But I don’t want my house to be a museum focused on a different era. Plus, I don’t think my teenage son appreciates seeing lots of photos showing him half his size. (That’s such an uncool dad thing to do!) 

It’s the Memory that Matters Most
So, if you want to hang up photos from your trips, you’d better take some shots that can stand on their own and contain a story that you’ll remember. (Otherwise, it’s little more than a postcard that simply says you were there.) 

This is how the right photo can reflect real meaning for you in future years and help project the story of your life. 

This may all seem obvious, but it’s often hard to accomplish.  

Conversely, sometimes, these photo opportunities just appear, and you quickly snap the picture without much thought. And then you may not realize that you’ve captured a memorable moment until you get back from your trip and reflect on that photo.

However it happens, these are the special photos to curate. They don’t have to be your ‘best’ photos. But they’re the ones that will carry the most meaning for you across time.

And I think these are the ones to consider showcasing… for yourself and others.

Focus on Snapping Good Photos that Tell a Better Story
As for our own photo-framing project, happily, I did find enough photos to choose from that will work. 

But this exercise was a critical reminder for me that most anyone today can take a good photo with their phone. 

But being a better photographer is always about capturing a memorable story.