It's only stuff....

In my last post I spoke about how having too many photos (or anything else come to that) can be overwhelming and stressful instead of giving joy. But progress is being made as I organise my photos and wrangle with what to keep and what to delete. And while doing this I remembered an article written by Mark Slade. He was 
badly affected by the floods at Hebden Bridge earlier this year and many homes and personal possessions were destroyed. For many, caught unawares by that unexpected torrent, there was no time to gather belongings. And many photos were lost. Those timeless sepia, and black and white photos, handed down through the family, with memories of family past. And photos downloaded onto computers that were not backed up onto the Cloud.

In a disaster there are bigger things to worry about than photos. Along with other tangible things, well, it's only stuff. But is it?  Mark Slade wrote:

"While every image captured is in me and part of me, without the photo, the faces and colours, places and people trapped on the paper, they will slip away like smoke".

I know what he means.  Photos, for me, provide a link between the past and present.  And while I don't want to spend my life looking backwards, these photos are part of me, and who I am. And so I was touched by what Mark asked: that friends and neighbours of those affected by the flood look in their photo collections for copies that they could share. The weddings, christenings, work does, clubs and sport days. A small but priceless gesture. 

This Christmas I made my Mum a photobook. The kind you create online and have printed into a book.  I put in some of the black and white photos, handed down through the generations. And as my Mum sometimes tells me that she doesn't have many photos of her great grand daughters I added these too. The book bought a tear or two to her eye, and I know she will spend many hours turning the pages and smiling at remembered memories.

I hope those families who lost photos have managed to gather some back. Pouring through my albums makes me appreciate that perhaps abundance is not such a bad thing after all. Especially if the photos are organised.

Time to Photo Prune and Propagate

It's too cold to work in the garden but there is much pruning and propagating to be done indoors.  And so here I am, at my computer, slowly working my way through six years worth of photos that have been downloaded but not organised into folders. It is overwhelming. 

It is something I keep planning to do. But don't.

And so in the quiet days of post-Christmas I am making a start. I like going through old photos but there is a bitter edge because it would be more enjoyable if there wasn't so many. I know when I took the same 20 photos of my baby grand daughter that I planned to keep the best one or two and delete the rest. But I didn't, and many more photos followed. She is now 6.

I am never without my camera. Just ask my friends and family! Photos make memories, capture magical moments like the sunrise, and they give the mundane meaning. But I began to feel like I was drowning, and after several years of taking Project 365 photos I stopped. Because, well, what was the point? They just added to my photo piles and gave stress rather than enjoyment. It's quick and easy to take a photo, especially now that I use one on my mobile phone as well. But having abundance does not always give us what we want. No. 

Photography was once a passion, a part of who I am. But this overwhelm has taken something away. Something that I want back. And so here I am taking steps. My husband bought me a new camera for Christmas, and I also received a new book called 'Adventures in Seeing'. It is about contemplative photography, which connects with me. It is a reminder to slow down, and think before I take a photo. I am planning to pick up Project 365 again and to put time aside to organise my photos as I go along. I am beginning to feel excited about taking photos again.

But for now, it's time to get back to my pruning and propagating!