Start Keeping a Photo Journal

You might find something you weren't looking for

Photo from Unsplash

In my last semester, I took a class in one of my first photography courses that touched on muses. A muse is basically a person, place, or thing that you draw inspiration from. A muse could be a daughter, a friend, your favorite place, or an object you hold dear. The class gave us some suggestions to find our muse and one that I really liked is keeping a photo journal.

So this past new year, I decided to start one and take my camera with me everywhere I go. I would take at least one picture a day of something that speaks to me. The point is to get in the habit of taking pictures wherever you go to encapsulate meaningful memories. Using a camera is a great way of doing that.

The pictures in my photo journal so far aren't earth-shattering or anything. They are pretty standard as daily life goes. I like to take pictures of everyday life so far since I study and am looking for work remotely. If I see some detail in my home that stands out to me I try to frame it in the camera in an interesting way to chapter its character. It might not mean much to other readers but it is meaningful to me because I know how I was feeling or thinking at the moment I took it. I could use it as a conversation piece if I ever showed it to someone to tell them an interesting story about what I thought at that moment. It’s all part of the life process in life. It’s good to be curious and explore your surroundings to find something meaningful worth sharing. Even if it’s just with yourself for a while.

I made a new years resolution earlier this year that you can read here. It’s about my one-word new year resolution, which is storytelling. I want to find details in the big picture of schemes and use my photos to provoke stories through details that I find in life. It would help me to look deeper into the frame and capture something meaningful that maybe others might not see at first glance. It gives me a reason to explore and be creative without even trying because I just have to choose one picture for the day. In a way, it helps me think outside of the box.

My goal is to hopefully fill the file on my computer by the end of the year. That would make me happy.

Have you ever thought of keeping a photo journal? What are some moments you would love to encapsulate? I'd love to hear about them in the comments.