“Photography is a form of time travel.” (Neil deGrasse Tyson)
Breakfast at my parents’ house this morning to share photos from our France trip with them had me reminiscing about some of our earlier trips together as a family. I went to pull out some old photos to show Holden and learned that my mom had thrown away some of the originals that weren’t in albums. (They’ve taken the term “empty nest” quite literally these days…) I flew into a panic and gathered up as many albums as I could carry, promising my mom that I would start scanning them for a digital archive.
And so begins “Sunday Scans” — my new weekend activity where I scan old family photos in an attempt to organize them and preserve our history. We were fortunate to travel often when I was growing up, thanks to my dad’s job with American Airlines. Some trips are cloudy memories in my head now, so I wanted to spend time reliving them through pictures. My love of photography started early, and I was curious to revisit some of the amateurish kodak moments (mainly shot on disposable cameras).
It’s been nearly 20 years since we spent our summer vacation in Copenhagen, Denmark visiting family friends who were living there temporarily. I remember a few vivid memories such as the Little Mermaid statue and riding the Tivoli Gardens carousel. I also recall complaining to my mom because I was tired of touring so many castles. What a brat I was! Looking back at the photos as I lined them up on the scanner, I saw old sights through a new lens. The colorful buildings and intricate sailboats… the ornate gold accents underneath the fountain. Things I was too young to appreciate and am now too old to remember without the aid of pictures.
