Don't Lose Those Memories

Classic pose from mid-20th century.

Our title "Don't Lose Those Memories" was inspired by this "bunny barn" photo.I wish I had more like it.I don't because, even though my career has been selling stories and photos, I've too often skipped taking personal photos in order to hunt longer or harder. I didn't regret it at the time, but now...Another mistake was poorly managing the early snap shots I did take. I no longer have the picture of the massive whitetail buck I took at age 16. That long lost slide would show my favorite uncle and cousin with me on their farm. I can't remember what my college freshman hunting buddy, Neal, looked like. While we burned through a lot of 22 long rifles, we never posed for a picture. Neal died in a car accident our sophomore year. Wish I had a shot of brother Bob in the frigid wall tent up on the limestone ridge at our Black Hills deer camp, too, and Don sleeping round the campfire in Harding County because he forgot his sleeping bag. Don't have a single shot of Dad and his hired man, Richard, in his locker plant skinning deer for the local hunters.It was just too easy to lose prints, especially Polaroids. No negatives for reprinting those.These days we must worry about losing images through changing technology. Collecting digital images is easy, but what happens when the hard drive crashes or the operating systems change? Are you making backup hard copies? And spreading them among family and friends?Pictures might not seem like a big deal when you're 20 and looking toward the future, but someday you're going to be living in that future, looking back. A few visual touchstones would be nice. Take plenty. Preserve them.# # #