(From our beach camping trip over the Summer)
We've all heard this saying, haven't we? In this day and age, it seems that everything is about commemorating snapshots of our lives using our cameras, in particular, our cellphone's camera. When we went on our trip a couple weeks ago, we used our phones to take pictures instead of our more professional DSLR. Using our phones was more convenient than pulling out a bigger, heavier camera that could prove to be cumbersome.
I've been bitten by the travel bug lately too. In just a few short weeks, my best friend and I are going to a destination wedding in Hawaii. I've never been to the island of Oahu, so I am extremely excited to explore the city, offset by beautiful ocean. And next Spring Godwilling, Nate and I are going to try our very hardest to make a European vacation happen. I think we are realizing that starting a family is within reach, and we want to see and do as much as possible before babies come into the picture.
In thinking about all of this travel and wanderlust, I stopped and pondered why we haven't yet made good use of these pictures. Even from our wedding and honeymoon last year, our phones and SD cards are filled with undeveloped photos that we could print and use as thank-you cards, Christmas presents, birthday gifts, and for decorating our barren condo walls. I really want our travel to be documented and looked at in a meaningful way, so I've come up with some solutions that I plan on using in the coming months. I hope these tips can help many of you as well!
1. Unload your phone's camera and PRINT them! Easy enough right? Most stores have kiosk stations where you can touch up blurry photos, make them more vibrant in color, or forgo color altogether for that beautiful vintage black and white look.
2. Turn your travel photos into a book. Artifact Uprising is probably my favorite company to use and recommend. Photo books are great because you can set them on your coffee table and they are great conversation starters for your party guests. The best part is reliving those special moments with others. Printing your Instagram photos and using them as prints in your home is also great for guests to look at.
3. Now that the Holidays are upon us, why not use your travel photos as gifts to friends and family? My grandmother loves to travel, and each year when we would gather for Christmas, she would bring her photos for us all to ooh and ah over. Take it a step further and actually use these photos as gifts and thank-you cards. Treat by Shutterfly is what I'll be using within the next few months. Personalized cards are so much more thoughtful than store bought cards, and they are always good to keep around for last minute gifts.
I hope this is helpful ladies! It's time to stop stockpiling these beautiful memories and start putting them to use! Let me know if you enjoy this type of post, I may do more in the future that are different from my normal fashion and beauty blurbs.
