Remembering the thing you love the most

What is the thing you love the most about scrapbooking?

Me? It's a toss up between the photos and the stories. Probably, the stories would win out in a head-to-head contest, but really, it's hard to say that with 100% conviction.

I was cleaning out the basement over the weekend, and I came across this lovely:

My very first SLR camera. Sigh. Hello, Minolta SRT200. I missed you.

This wasn't my first camera. My parents gave me a  Kodak Instamatic when I was 9 or so, and I took MANY an out-of-focus macro shot of my extensive pet rock collection. But for my 15th birthday, they gave me the lovely thing you see above, thereby further cementing my life long love of taking pictures.

Not that the love of taking pictures makes me unique, nor did it automatically predispose me to become a scrapbooker. It helped, but it certainly didn't mandate the transformation, you know? A lot of people take a lot of pictures, and don't become scrapbookers. I know. Shocking.

I really did love reading Ali's whole Words+Photos blog posts. Great reminder about the simplicity of using your photos in basic but meaningful ways. Even great design takes a back seat to the core basics of putting words and photos together. Seriously. If you take a photo and tell a story that means something to you, but it looks like shit? Honestly? Who cares!

(I personally would care if it were my page, but remember: I have order issues.)

My sweet friend Stacy had a great idea in her book Simple Scrapbooks, the whole Favorite Photos Album. By now, it's certainly not revolutionary (or maybe it still, in fact, is!) but the idea is such a sound one. Make an album of your favorite photos. How you define its structure can be up to you. I have one of these albums of my all-time faves. But now, I think I just want to make an ongoing album featuring my favorite photo from each month, and the reason why. A simple straightforward celebration of pictures and stories I love that emerge from the photo first.

I opened iPhoto and combed through the 301 shots I took in the month of April, to see which shot would stand out as the favorite. Now, it could be for any number of reasons: meaning, humor, overall artistic quality. I have to say, I was heavily favoring this one:

But I already used that on a layout, thereby sort of rendering it to the DQ list.

So I picked this one, on the merits of artistic integrity:

I dig it. Pasty white arms and all.

Note to self: find cute album, get started.

 

Comments

[ShellyJ]

So this means another cute album idea comming soon?!?!? :) cant wait! i've been working each day this month on the Daily tag for this month! ... so far, so good! and my hubby is actually impressed i've been keeping up with it!

[Sharon]

I have moved to Lightroom from iPhoto and have been making up collections of favorite photos. I plan on having a photo book made.

[LateBlossom]

What a great idea! I'm no great shakes at photography but always have a story to tell. Another thing for the to-do list....

[rubberbandgirl Cami S.]

Ok, I kind of view you as a music soul sister. Because of you, I just got the Kate Walsh cd for my birthday. I'm so glad you've found This Mortal Coil's Song to the Siren sung by the immortal Elizabeth Fraser. My music soul brother, Ben, asked me, when we were juniors in high school, to sing that song at his funeral. When his mother called eleven years later to ask me to sing at his funeral, I told her the song choice was already taken care of.
It's hard to listen to anymore, but oh, I love it and I miss my friend.
I wanted to recommend a few more items to you (in his honor): Blood (album) by This Mortal Coil, The Shins, The Duke Spirit and Franz Ferdinand (all recent discoveries except for This Mortal Coil).
Your blog makes my day.
Thanks for the disarming sense of humor you share.

[~leah g~]

my parents had this camera (no. . .i am not insinuating anything by that) it's the one that i used for my photography class in college. my mom still has it. . .

[sue Treiber]

You should still add the top photo, whether or not you used it already.Faves are meant to be used more than once.
As an added bonus to your devotees, we'll get to see it again in a LO!

[Jennifer W.]

I want to do this, too. I started the year with a picture a day plan.....that lasted about a minute. I did do 12 on the 12th last Monday and loved it. Thank you for that and all your wonderful ideas :)

[Rose]

I don't think that the photo of you and Dan should have been DQ'd. You said it was going to be a book of your favorite photos so I think this totally qualifies. I know it is on my top 10 list of fav photos on your blog.
But then again it's not my book.
Hey maybe I will make my own book fav. photo's of Cathy Z... Ohh that would be kind of creepy and stalkerish.
K, back to my corner now.
Rose

[Nancy Peacock]

You are such a teacher.
A unique and original teacher.
One who is able to convey stuff worth remembering without the receiver thinking "Oh, here we go..."
I love it when you teach.

[elizabeth]

I LOVE the artsy photo, but I think I would have re-used the BOOB shot....it's a classic :)

[Jamie Y.]

I just want to say that your hubby is just a cutie! Maybe I'll scrapbook him! Maybe, just maybe, he will be MY Neil! :) Great idea, having a picture of the month! I am totally going to do that!!

Jamie

[Chels]

ooh... might have to try that album idea!

[Isabel]

That camera is a sexy little number. I *heart* it...

[Sara Fehling]

I have a Canon AE-1 that could be related to your Minolta, they look so similar. I love that ancient camera!

[Rachel]

A very similar old Minolta was my first SLR, and oh, how I loved it. Sadly, it was stolen when I was in college. I replaced it with a Pentax of similar vintage, but it was never the same. Thanks for sharing the picture of yours. It brought back lots of good memories.

[Megan Mill]

do you really live in st.paul?

[Jennifer]

Thanks for the inspiration. I started a favorite photos album awhile back - going to get back to it.
THANKS! Jen

[Sharon T]

Okay, I love reading blogs of you, Donna D, Stacy J, Lisa B, (just to name a few) and the groping pic is by far the funniest thing I have ever seen posted on a SB site! I laughed out loud. My husband would soo appreciate it! So funny--and real. Thanks for being so real and for sharing so many great ideas. I can't wait to try this book idea out.
Sharon T :)

[Lisa]

I've been thinking about making a "faves" album and would love to see where you go with it (so I can steal your ideas)! I agree with the other posters - ya gotta keep the boob shot.

[Heather P]

Love this idea! I love the coffee shot, but really I don't think you should DQ the other either.

[Corinna]

Okay, first of all you are not alone in the pasty white arms department. God, sometimes I really hate my paleness.

Secondly, so what if you've already used the photo on a layout? If it's your fave, it's your fave! Use it again! I am pretty sure I've seen Stacy J do that before and as Ali E would say, "It is okay" Cathy! LOL

Corinna

[Suzy]

You and Dan make me laugh and make me smile!

Cheers to you too! I am glad you liked the review of Jesus Christ Superstar!

[jules]

The top photo may have been d/q, but how many of us have a photo just like it?? I just had to show to hubby...."see, its a guy thing."