Recently, I went down the rabbit hole looking through my old photos to free up space on my computer. I noticed that, in many cases, I spent more time looking at the backgrounds than at the subjects.
- Oh, remember what the yard next door looked like before they put in a pool…
- Look how small that tree was, and now it towers over the house…
- Whatever happened to that necklace? I really liked it…
- OMG, my desk is a mess. Why did I have all those piles?…
- Look at how big and bulky that computer is!…
- What was I thinking with that pattern on the chair?…
- Oh, I forgot about that knickknack that was always in our kitchen…
And on it went. As much reminiscing as deleting, but I did manage to purge several hundred photos.
It inspired me to take pictures of today’s “ordinary” — the moments that make up daily life, not just the special occasions or vacations. One of author Dan Pink’s cheat codes is to “make your decisions based on what it would be like on an ordinary Tuesday, not on a fantasy Saturday.” I think it’s a good guide for your photography, too.
