This is so beautifully written and relatable and every time I read a piece like this I'm pumping my fists like YES I NEED TO EMBRACE PHYSICAL MEDIA AGAIN I'M GOING TO DO IT FOR REAL!
I love family photos, and now I too am sad that we won't have this same experience to pass on to the newer generations. When the pandemic started I was freelancing (so basically, unemployed) so I decided to spend 2020 working on a personal project - I scanned all of our family photos. The collection spans over 15,000 images (from scans to digital photos from 2006 on) and so now I have a huge digital collection of those lovely images. Problem is, now I want to do the reverse project: printing my personal photos from 2013 on. I have this grand idea to make photo books for each year, but the problem with digital photography (and being a photographer myself) is that I have thousands of photos that I want to memorialize. Which costs time and money. But every few months I have a moment like this where I remember how important it is to print photos or make something physical or back up your images. Because I do love scrolling back through my Tumblr and Instagram and Facebook, and I do it regularly, but it's so much less satisfying than pulling out our old family scrapbooks that my mom lovingly put together when we were kids.
First off, I LOVE that you DO scroll through Instagram and Tumblr! I can’t imagine doing that, which is wild. And, ironically, like you I have the task of digitizing all of my photos. My family asked me to recently and I’m obliging them, but only so I can make copies for my siblings and cousins. And if you need encouragement to print out your digital photos into physical books THIS IS IT! DO IT!That sounds amazing! I was trying to find this Substack I read ages ago where this photographer talked about how they scrapbook every year and it was so so good, but I can’t remember the name of the substacker. But anyway, thank you for commenting! I’m glad I’m not alone in wanting to embrace physical media (even if it IS expensive).
I am 100% with you on all of this. There is something so wonderful about holding on to something that was once belonged to someone special to us. (Obviously, more so if they have passed away . . . but even if they are still alive, there is still a sense of connection)
Personally, my little collection of books, notepads, diaries and sketchbooks etc are some of my most treasured possessions (along with a few favourite records / albums too!).
But even more special than that for me, are things like my late father's old taxi license, or the last letter my grandmother wrote to me for my 21st birthday.
Literally, there is not a digital asset in the world that could ever compare with these!
Beautifully written piece, Luka. And so glad to see you back on here again!
This is a wonderful piece, and you’ve really struck a chord with me. I’m a music lover, and I feel that my online stuff just disappears. I know it’s there, but it’s not the same as picking up a CD or LP and choosing to play it. It’s the same with photographs, as you’ve pointed out so beautifully. Thanks for sharing this and for including these great old photographs. It’s good to know you’ve decided to stick with painting and are carrying a camera again.
You know I feel like we could talk for quite some time about music. And yes, for all that I love listening to music on my phone, it’s just not the same as picking up my records. Thank you for commenting! I always appreciate your insights :)
This is so beautifully written and relatable and every time I read a piece like this I'm pumping my fists like YES I NEED TO EMBRACE PHYSICAL MEDIA AGAIN I'M GOING TO DO IT FOR REAL!
I love family photos, and now I too am sad that we won't have this same experience to pass on to the newer generations. When the pandemic started I was freelancing (so basically, unemployed) so I decided to spend 2020 working on a personal project - I scanned all of our family photos. The collection spans over 15,000 images (from scans to digital photos from 2006 on) and so now I have a huge digital collection of those lovely images. Problem is, now I want to do the reverse project: printing my personal photos from 2013 on. I have this grand idea to make photo books for each year, but the problem with digital photography (and being a photographer myself) is that I have thousands of photos that I want to memorialize. Which costs time and money. But every few months I have a moment like this where I remember how important it is to print photos or make something physical or back up your images. Because I do love scrolling back through my Tumblr and Instagram and Facebook, and I do it regularly, but it's so much less satisfying than pulling out our old family scrapbooks that my mom lovingly put together when we were kids.
Thank you for this reminder!!!
First off, I LOVE that you DO scroll through Instagram and Tumblr! I can’t imagine doing that, which is wild. And, ironically, like you I have the task of digitizing all of my photos. My family asked me to recently and I’m obliging them, but only so I can make copies for my siblings and cousins. And if you need encouragement to print out your digital photos into physical books THIS IS IT! DO IT!That sounds amazing! I was trying to find this Substack I read ages ago where this photographer talked about how they scrapbook every year and it was so so good, but I can’t remember the name of the substacker. But anyway, thank you for commenting! I’m glad I’m not alone in wanting to embrace physical media (even if it IS expensive).
I am 100% with you on all of this. There is something so wonderful about holding on to something that was once belonged to someone special to us. (Obviously, more so if they have passed away . . . but even if they are still alive, there is still a sense of connection)
Personally, my little collection of books, notepads, diaries and sketchbooks etc are some of my most treasured possessions (along with a few favourite records / albums too!).
But even more special than that for me, are things like my late father's old taxi license, or the last letter my grandmother wrote to me for my 21st birthday.
Literally, there is not a digital asset in the world that could ever compare with these!
Beautifully written piece, Luka. And so glad to see you back on here again!
This is a wonderful piece, and you’ve really struck a chord with me. I’m a music lover, and I feel that my online stuff just disappears. I know it’s there, but it’s not the same as picking up a CD or LP and choosing to play it. It’s the same with photographs, as you’ve pointed out so beautifully. Thanks for sharing this and for including these great old photographs. It’s good to know you’ve decided to stick with painting and are carrying a camera again.
You know I feel like we could talk for quite some time about music. And yes, for all that I love listening to music on my phone, it’s just not the same as picking up my records. Thank you for commenting! I always appreciate your insights :)