What were you thinking when you picked up the camera? Probably, “I’ve got to take a picture of this”, because you want to remember it, or at the very least, you’re seeing something you want to share with someone else (because it made you laugh or you know they’d appreciate it). With all the options in today’s technologically advanced world, we can share the daily moments of our lives with those whom we love and share interests.
Just this morning, I spotted a paint job on a truck I knew my daughter would love, so I made a U-turn, just to be able to snap a picture and share it with her…even though she was 60 miles away. Her detail-oriented artist’s eye would appreciate the picture so much more than my attempt at words. But once I’ve taken the picture, I have to do something with it, or my intent remains only that, and the moment is truly lost.
So what do you do once you’ve taken the picture? How do you safely share, backup and record the stories of your photos? Facebook, Twitter and other social mediums have become commonplace and cluttered with these spontaneous moments. They’re great for getting that moment out there to the masses and while we’re taught that to post something online means its out there forever, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to retrieve it when you want. Nor does it mean you’ve protected the picture. In fact, you’ve done just the opposite. That picture has become property of the website and in the fine print of the user agreement, you’ve given your permission for the image to be used in whatever way they (and other apps accessing your profile) choose.
There are many sharing and cloud storage apps (programs, for those of us old enough to remember the days before the mobile device took over). A good one is Linea. You simply upload your photo to a “line” in your account and invite those with whom you’d like to share the photo. As the owner of the photo, you can post a caption. Anyone included in the line can post and see comments or download the image in it’s original (uncompressed) file size. (Now that’s something you can’t do on Facebook!) Any member of your Linea line can arrange the photos in an order they prefer, then click the magic button (okay, it’s not really magic but it super awesome!) and order a printed book with their selected photo arrangement. No more waiting for Aunt Suzy to send you those prints from the family reunion. Plus, no surprise “likes” or comments from so&so (a friend) of Aunt Suzy.
The important thing is that you don’t lose your moments. Take the time after special events, or if you’re like me and always shooting randomly throughout your day, to sort through those images and save the best and pitch the blurry or missed moments. Upload the best to your favorite cloud storage/sharing site and be sure to include why you took the picture in the caption or comment section. Because, when you picked up your camera, I know you weren’t thinking, “I’m going to take this picture and never show it to anyone”.
Stacy Cochrane is the founder of Managing Memory Lane and a member of APPO, the Association of Personal Photo Organizers. She specializes in establishing and maintaining photo storage and sharing systems that give her clients the freedom of sharing their photos as they choose while providing secure backup and privacy protection. You can contact Stacy via email at stacycochrane@me.com.
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