Photography has a practical side. Sometimes, I need help remembering details and pictures have been my prompter; helping fill in the blank spots of my memory. Taking a walk down memory lane via one’s photos reveals all kinds of long forgotten moments. From one’s fashion sense through the years to the small details of a trip, photos can capture, freeze and help one trigger memories of events.

At the Musée Rodin in Paris. . .

The photo, although overexposed, brings a smile to my face as I recall spotting the “look-a-likes” that day.

Without this picture to jog my memory, I undoubtedly would have forgotten our dinner at this restaurant in Alcala de Henares, Spain. It was taken the night Spain won the Euro cup in June 2008 and the people took to the streets to celebrate. Seeing the flag waving owner of the restaurant sparks memories of the throngs of people coming out into the streets to celebrate the victory with cheers, chants and national pride. I am swept up in the excitement of the victory once again.

Using photography to document something as trivial as the time I bought store brand cotton swabs instead of Q-tips has helped me remember why. . .

I will only buy Q-tips brand from now on. Come to think of it, I should frame this and hang it in my bathroom so I can be reminded every day.

Another way to put photography to use in the memory making process is to document an item you want to remember but don’t have enough room to store. My parents recently found and returned a keepsake of mine; a bread dough sculpture one of my elementary school friends made for me as a going away present, on the occasion of our moving out of the area.

I had forgotten this cute little guy. Even though, I must admit, I don’t remember who gave it to me anymore; it still holds a special place in my heart. Now it will be memorialized in pixels forever and I will stash it in my albums to be rediscovered some day in the future; when I will be transported once again back to, not only the original gifting, but now also the time this gift re-entered my life and the photo shoot and fond memories it ignited.

Join me on memory lane,

~ Sue