I read an interesting article in yesterday's New York Times. After Superstorm Sandy, some people set up a Facebook page and posted photos that had been lost in the storm, including a drawer with over one thousand family photos.
Helping people reconnect with lost photos is a thoughtful way to help people make their lives whole again after a tragedy. I started to think about where recovering photos would rank in after storm activities.
I love photographs. I have several displayed in almost every room. They remind me of vacations, special occasions and loved ones. What would I save if I had to leave home in the midst of a disaster and only had a few minutes? Jeff and I would focus on getting Spike out safely. But what next? I suppose I could grab my great grandmother's wedding ring--that would be (relatively) financially and sentimentally valuable. If I grabbed a photo on the way out, which one would it be?
I don't know.
I've been watching the show Revolution; it depicts life after all electricity has been turned off. One plot thread involves mother who carries around a smart phone because it contains her only pictures of her children. For a brief moment, power is restored and the first thing she does is turn on her phone to see her kids.
One appeal of digital photos is that you can easily delete the bad photos and save the good without filling up drawers. But are digital photos more easily lost and forgotten?
These thoughts are running through my head as I think about organizing my own photos. I need to take another look through the photos my father left to me. My mother recently gave me an envelope full of photos. Plus I have several photos of my own. I previously have culled through them, but need to do more. I'll take some of the better photos and frame, display and appreciate them. The rest, well, I'll see.
No comments:
Post a Comment