For many scrapbookers, a memorable time or a beautiful photo spurs the creation of a new scrapbook page. We want to document the story that comes to mind and preserve the memory for posterity.
What we don’t often do is spend more intimate time with our photos. When was the last time you took just one photo and let it tell you story after story? Let me share an example.
On the surface, this is a photo of my husband assembling our daughter’s stroller. It’s not particularly exceptional, but if we look deeper it has a rich story to tell! These are just a few of the thoughts that come to mind:
1. We have a bit of role reversal in our marriage. He always reads directions, whereas I do not.
2. My husband did almost as much nesting as I did to get ready for our daughter’s arrival.
3. We had a long discussion, including drafting a big chart, on the pros and cons of various stroller systems.
4. We tend to be homebodies and have used the stroller less than anticipated. Hopefully that will change this spring.
5. There were big plans that we would sit in this chair with our little girl. It is currently piled with scrapbook supplies.
See how these thoughts are not about the photo itself? Taking just a few moments to really look at an image, to see it, can be very powerful for your scrapbooking.
From here you can take any one of these ideas and utilize it as a launch point for your next page. Maybe you will use this photo or maybe you will grab others. Maybe one thought about this photo will open the floodgates for even more ideas.
When you invest time in your photos, you can readily uncover hidden memories in the images. These thoughts can form the basis of telling rich and meaningful stories on scrapbook pages.
Do you spend time brainstorming page ideas? What are your favorite sources of page topic inspiration?
Hi Jennifer
I loved this post. I am an obsessive scrapbooker and picture taker. I dont want to be a professional photographer but I do want to take better photos. Reading this I realised its not just about taking better photos its about taking photos that matter that tell a story just as you said. Thank you for helping me to realise that. My aha moment
Hugs
Val