Several months back, I was in a meeting at work, planning our September 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine. At that time, we came up with an idea to do a feature on taking a photo field trip. At that time, I was so inspired by the idea that I decided to take a photo field trip of my own.
My longtime friend Julia and I went back to some of our childhood hot spots--our neighborhood, the schools we went to, and a few other regular hangouts. For example, what seems like a typical McDonald’s and Baskin Robbins is actually where we would go everyday after school to wait for the city bus to pick us up and take us home. I can’t begin count how many sweet ice cream treats I enjoyed, sitting on my big ol’ saxophone case, waiting for those buses to come. :)
Even though it was summertime when we took these shots, two of the three schools we went to happened to be opened (at least partially), so we were even able to go inside a get a few shots of the halls and classrooms that once seemed so big. In this hall of our jr. high was one of my best friend’s lockers, where I used to think I was SO funny because I’d smear cheese from my cheese-and-crackers snack on her lock everyday. Hahaha! I’m sure she loved having me as a pal.
If you look closely, you’ll see the name of one of my first high school crushes--Anthony Jones. He was a sr. on the football team when I was just a nerdy (and I mean nerdy) sophomore, and he never had any idea who I was, but I was well aware of him. LOL I had to snap this pick of his name in one of the school trophy cases for old time’s sake. (I promise I’m not a stalker.) ;)
I used to slide down this railing just about everyday after math class. Now they have a pointed edges on them, which means the days of sliding are no more. (Killjoys!)
We had so much fun remembering moments from our past. Many games of kissing tag were played on this playground. Of course, the playground itself looks much different today (probably a lot safer than the one we played on), but the fond memories of being out in there haven’t changed.
The area where we grew up in is rapidly changing. I love that I now have these photos to preserve how things were when I was young. No matter how things continue to change, I’ll have these images that will help me remember what my childhood looked like--images and stories I can pass on to my own children someday. And I love that Julia was able to go with me and help me remember. This is such a fun way to stay connected to what’s important to you.
Over at the Creating Keepsakes blog, Dream Team member Deena Wuest wrote a post that elaborates on the photo field trip concept, including awesome camera-setting advice. Check it out and find some helpful tips for taking a successful trip of your own. Have fun!