I am not sure what I want to do with my life; however, as a child, I was convinced that one day I would become a photographer. Somewhere along the way, I acquired my grandma’s friend’s camera. It was an old, square, digital camera, mostly black with a few linings of silver metal. It wasn’t in the best condition, but it didn’t make a difference for me.
took photos of everything and anything, completely amused with the art of capturing moments and objects in a small, rectangular design. Growing up, I never found myself using electronics much. Of course, I was given my mom’s old phones as an object to play games with and a Kindle for the same use. But nothing could compare to the black and metal camera that provides so many memories.
That is until I got an iPod. I felt so mature and responsible. I took all of the photos on the iPod, and the camera was left forgotten in a bin under my bed.
Occasionally, the camera resurfaced at the higher levels of my room, maybe while I was cleaning or organizing. I would reminisce over the pictures and photographer’s dreams before it would all be forgotten in a new bin under my bed.
The camera dusted over for possibly years. It held all the memories under a pile of miscellaneous items until it was time again to haul out all the bins and rediscover the memories and moments while I was supposedly cleaning.
This time, I had a purpose to find the camera. My friend found her parents’ old camera and brought it along to our concert. We got beautiful, unique candids of a forgotten style of film. I didn’t connect the dots that I had a similar artifact in my room until weeks later. Then, I found the camera, battery, and SD cards that accompanied it.
I sat for hours, shuffling through cards and the pictures each held.
It held all the memories under a pile of miscellaneous items until it was time again to haul out all the bins and rediscover the memories and moments while I was supposedly cleaning
One card had an entire Spring Break in Orlando. The pictures started at the airport and showed us all huddled together with our bags and neck pillows. It continued at my aunt and uncle’s condo, with pictures of the condo itself, to the meals we ate on the patio. There were photos of the fruit arrangements in the Orlando stores and photos from the cheap yet amusing gift shops littering the streets. There are photos from our overnight trip to Tallahassee to see my dad’s friend during a torrential rain storm. Then, it transfers to our stay at Disney: the original All-Star Movies rooms before they were refurbished, our character meals, the buses, the food court, and pictures from the parks in front of the castle. The entire trip, I have vivid memories of, but none included the sacred camera that documented the entire adventure. There were memories remembered that I didn’t even know were ever forgotten.
My photographer dreams are far lost, but there was still a thrilling excitement that came with passing through all of the photos. I transferred all of the memories onto my computer and cleared the card to make room for continued memories. I’m not sure how long it will last, but my goal is that the camera can relive its glory in the upcoming events. Digital cameras have gained such a glorious role in life now, being seen as an aesthetic way to get a variety of pictures. The camera now sits on my dresser, completely uncovered and breached, ready for the next time it is picked up to document the next perfect moment.
