On Photography and Memory Keeping
3 May 2012
Last week I did a little day in the life photography project as a small-scale version of the week in the life project that so many of my favorite bloggers do. I have been thinking about it a lot in the past few days, and it has led to some really interesting realizations. The whole series of revelations begins with a paradox: I am not a scrapbooker, and I never have been one. I don’t know, maybe it was because my awesome Besfrinn had it totally covered back when we were in high school. She made such beautiful and creative books; I was always in awe of them, and maybe living through her glory made me content to just snap a picture here and there and throw old movie ticket stubs in a box in the closet.
But part of the reason why I decided to the do the day in the life project was that I felt like I hadn’t been taking enough pictures. Sure, I snap away when I am cooking or working on a project, but I didn’t find a lot of time in my busy workday to look for things: a perfect flame-colored leaf, the shadow of a songbird on the sidewalk. So, last Wednesday, I made a real effort to see and to take pictures.
The thing is, honestly, I didn’t have to try too hard. I had the day off, so there was plenty of time to devote to aesthetic pursuits. And I am so glad I have those pictures, and those memories of the day.
It was only when I started looking at others’ day in the life photos, though, that I realized something more profound. Here were pictures of women washing their faces in the morning, children stepping onto the bus, piles of textbooks and a sack lunch, cars packed on freeways in an evening commute. Whoa. There is so much beauty in all of this. A light bulb went off in my head, and I was immediately inspired to try to capture as much of my busy workday routine as I can. Not just those pretty shots of afternoon light settling over a cup of tea, but pictures of the stereo in my car (set to full blast!) as I ease my way out of the garage in the morning, the materials I work with during the day (often a mess, albeit a beautiful one), the smile on my face when I get to read and respond to blog comments in the evening. There is such tremendous wisdom in this practice, and I am so grateful to have gleaned it from these wonderful bloggers and scrapbookers. Here it is: even what we see as the most ordinary of the ordinary, the most mundane of the mundane in our daily lives, will one day be beyond our grasp, receding into the distance of our memories. Even moments to which we assign no particular value, whether because they occur so frequently or because they do not appear to be significant, will one day be treasures to us.
I have long trained myself to look for the extraordinary hidden in the quotidian, and I find (gratefully) that even the slightest bit of mindfulness will lead me in that direction. But what this project has shown me is that there is so much more beauty to be found in the quotidian, more than I could ever have imagined. A few weeks ago, I might have thought that documenting all the ordinary events of an average workday would not be too interesting. But as I looked through these blogs of other memory keepers, it didn’t take me long to realize the profound significance of the everyday. I lived in the Bay area for 7 years. For 7 years, I took the same bus to campus, passed the same shops and cafes, wore a path into our hallway on my way to check my mailbox or fetch something from my office. What I wouldn’t give now to have just one day’s worth of photos of a daily life that is now a thing of the past. Wow. It was a powerful revelation. Instead of making me sad for memories lost, however, this revelation made me excited about preserving the moments that make up my daily life today. I know that someday I’ll look back on these pictures from our first year of marriage and from my first job after finishing school as treasures. I am so grateful that digital cameras make the cost of this form of memory keeping almost non-existent. Every moment is precious. Every moment is fleeting. All the more reason to rejoice in the ones we can capture, the ones we can carry with us.

May 03, 2012 @ 06:25:29
When I finished reading this post I wrapped my arms around my beautiful wife and held her for a really long time. Thank you for the reminder of how easy it is to over-look the specialness of the every-day.
May 03, 2012 @ 09:02:51
This brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for sharing! Love you very much!
May 03, 2012 @ 07:39:56
I love that this was your experience.
May 03, 2012 @ 08:59:43
Thank you so much, Ali! I could never thank you enough for organizing this project!
May 03, 2012 @ 07:57:17
Well put! Also, thanks for introducing me to a new word: “quotidian.” I buzzed right over to m-w.com to look it up. “The ordinary. Every day.” Great word! I fancy myself to be something of a wordsmith, and I love it when I find ones I’d not heard of or read before.
May 03, 2012 @ 09:02:17
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of my favorite words, for sure! Thank you so much for stopping by! I am heading to your blog now—love meeting new blogging ladies!
May 03, 2012 @ 08:59:06
Loved readying your story today. Found you through Ali Edwards Design on Facebook. I’ll be peeking in from time to time… I enjoyed my visit!
May 03, 2012 @ 09:00:32
Thank you so much! I will definitely stop by your blog too–love meeting other blogging ladies!
May 03, 2012 @ 09:09:01
Everything you said here is so right on! Thank you for sharing your thoughts…your writing is wonderful:)
May 03, 2012 @ 09:20:47
Thank you so much! I am so glad to have met you too!
May 03, 2012 @ 16:14:43
You have described the Week In The Life project so beautifully, so poetically! I did this project for the second time this spring and I have to say that it is so inspiring to be really focused on all the great things that make up a typical week. Oh, to be able to stay present for each and every day!
Thank you for your beautiful post.
May 03, 2012 @ 17:07:48
Thank you so much, Kathy! I am really grateful to have discovered the project and look forward to keeping it up in the future! Thanks so much for stopping by and for your sweet comment!
May 03, 2012 @ 18:05:28
Beautifully written! As someone who did this project for the first time last week I whole heartedly agree with you. It was wonderful to find inspiration in our everyday lives and really take notice of the little things that matter and focus on what surrounds us each day. I’m also liking the new to me word “quotidian”. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
May 03, 2012 @ 19:33:18
Thank you so much, Dionne! I am so happy to hear that the project has been meaningful for you too! It just blew my mind how powerful it is. Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comment!
May 03, 2012 @ 19:30:53
Your post brought tears to my eyes. Beautiful! I am looking at my life’s everydayness in a new light. And I have written down your quote for safe keeping: “even what we see as the most ordinary of the ordinary, the most mundane of the mundane in our daily lives, will one day be beyond our grasp, receding into the distance of our memories. Even moments to which we assign no particular value, whether because they occur so frequently or because they do not appear to be significant, will one day be treasures to us” –the amazing Cameron WB. Thank you!
May 03, 2012 @ 19:36:54
Oh, Moriah! Your comment brought tears to my eyes too! Thank you so much! It is such a beautiful thing to find that something that moved me so deeply touches other people as well. I know that you always find (and create!) beauty all around you, and you are such an inspiration to me!
May 04, 2012 @ 14:29:26
Amen, Cameron, Amen. I’m guessing you will need to take a picture of me with my hands in soapy dishwater since I have spent literally years in that seemingly insignificant task. There is great comfort in my ordinary mundaneness. It keeps me centered and draws me back if I go spinning off that center.
I had a fit of the giggles since I too am a closet movie ticket stub saver!!!! Thanks for the reminder to keep being fully here, fully now. Love to you. . . . .
May 04, 2012 @ 15:20:22
You are such a great example of mindfulness in action 🙂 It makes me so happy that it is a meaningful thing for you, and that you see the beauty in it! Thanks for the inspiration! Love you!
May 05, 2012 @ 11:04:10
It’s beautiful that you choose to capture the moment of now. It’s so easy to want to hold on to what’s gone away and what we don’t have of our past lives. This post definitely helps me to accept the present and see it as a present.
May 05, 2012 @ 11:39:03
Thank you so much! That ability is definitely a gift, and I’m grateful when it comes to me!
May 06, 2012 @ 16:58:57
Honey, you hit the nail right on the head. We don’t get even one minute back. As always your post is lovely and inspiring.
May 08, 2012 @ 15:38:04
Thank you! If there is anyone who knows how to treasure the small things, it is you. Thanks for inspiring me!
Dec 25, 2013 @ 23:23:49
The camera looks through its lens and focuses using our lens (eyes)