Updated post from July 28th, 2024
Every year about this time, I wake up and feel slightly uneasy.
Unbalanced, really.
Since Memorial Day I’ve burrowed into the comfortable pillow of summer calm. Long days. Shorts and sandals. Outdoor cafes.
I like it. I’ve found the rhythm.
But suddenly, it’s half past July. Midsummer. And I can’t deny that Labor Day - the beginning of September - is out there somewhere. Just waiting.
This is the time to get serious about summer photos.
My ancestors dried fish and filled root cellars for the winter.
I lay in a stockpile of pictures for the dark months ahead.
‘Cause let’s face it. We all live for summer. It makes us smile.
So for the five weeks left to fill with summer photos, here are some thoughts to guide your picture taking that will warm up your winter.
Every summer has a story arc. Maybe some subplots thrown in. But our lives are stories and the lens of summer magnifies all that.
Vacations. Get-togethers. A son or daughter’s last months at home. Farewell to a familiar place and the discovery of a new one. Stories are all of that. Three days or all three months.
The thing is, as crystal clear as all that seems today, it won’t in 5 years or 10. What seems like clutter today may become an indistinct memory in time, wanting for the detail that you can capture and save today.
Your unedited photo library is the first draft. Now is a great time to skim through it and build a nice narrative. Do you need six photos of a group or would a closeup candid portrait of each person be more meaningful? Have you mixed in some short video that captures the sound of a voice or the way someone skipped stones in the pond?
If there are any holes in your story, you probably have time to fix them.
Kids grow. Pets come and go. Next year’s summer will be different. Guaranteed. So tighten up and flesh out your summer photos draft while you can.
What’s the point?
Well, digital photography and the products you can create are infinite and there’s nothing to say they can’t overlap. Photos from a two-week vacation can turn into:
A photo book about the vacation
A chapter in the “Summer of 24” family photo book
A video compilation of moments and interviews for sharing on social
Part of a larger narrative of a child’s first year or a graduate’s last year at home
A magazine of the sailing party or a beach barbecue to share
A gift book for someone who lent their house or hosted your visit
A digital slide show to share of an event or experience
A holiday card collection
The list goes on . . .
I learned the hard way that a little planning would have gone a long way at the Billy Joel 150th and final concert at Madison Square Garden. I could have videoed a song or two with Spacial Video - the format for the Vision Pro headset - but just hadn’t thought about it. I would have loved to see that concert 20 years from now in immersive Spacial Video.
Ah, well.
But that’s the point.
Professional photographers go into an experience, event, or trip with something of a plan so that they come away with all the material they need to make a complete, engaging story of it all. It can be a very short story with one or two images, or a full narrative that fills a photo book.
You can plan a little too.
It’s hard to appreciate until you’ve lived it, but looking back over several decades to a summer that may not have seemed that special in the moment, is priceless. Don’t discount anything as unworthy of a photo if it catches your eye. Or your imagination.
There are stories all around you. And they appreciate with time. And memorable photos don’t have to be a milestone moment, they can just reflect the way we were.
I hope that everyone’s summer experience is stellar and worthy of a project that you will enjoy and share for decades to come.
Five weeks and counting.
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