Ever miss the memory...on purpose without realizing it?

[august23]

Last summer, I spent 10 days in Rome, Italy with a group of my closest friends. We're all in college and we had an awesome time. However, despite the 3 plus hours of video footage, and over 800 pictures, I am still kicking myself in the face. There were about 3 or 4 times I reflect on to this day, wishing I had taken the picture to remember it by. Now all I can do is remind myself every day of what happened, as there's no recorded history of it...and it hurts knowing it will never happen again. So how do you cope with missing the memories you wish you had recorded?

[kevin_c]

The best 'image recorder' is in your head! As you say yourself, you will always remember, until you go senile anyway :-)

There are so many other things to do in life - worrying about not having pictures of something is not one of them - You can't change anything now, it's out of your control.

Now cheer up and go take some more pictures :-) :-)

[R Hardman]

You could always draw one!

[cdifoto]

Think about the memory really really hard...


...and then go photocopy your head, face down.


Think about it super hard though or you'll get motion blur. Fleeting thoughts won't do.

[august23]

ill just wait for time travel at this point lol

[DocFrankenstein]

So how do you cope with missing the memories you wish you had recorded?
800 pics and 3 hours of footage? You want more?

I don't think I'd "cope" with it in any way. Coping is a process you go through when people close to you die unexpectedly... not after a successful vacation.

[august23]

I know it sounds greedy. But there were a few really really special moments where noone thought hey! lets take a picture! And its bumming me out....7 months later =(

[kevin_c]

I think you need to put your 'problem' into perspective...

As DocFrankenstein said " 800 pics and 3 hours of footage? You want more? "...

[kram]

Looking at new places most of the time through a camera isnt too much fun either. Think of the so many things you wouldnt have even captured in your head if you had gotten compulsive about clicking everything :)

[Stefan A]

The most important thing has already been said. You can't go back, so why agonize over it. Sit down in a comfortable chair, close your eyes, and think about it. I was in Europe for 3 weeks this past summer and only took 400 pictures. But I was taking it all in.

Some people say they don't want to miss any shots. I say, if you are constantly looking for shots, you may miss something.

Stefan

[sunbeast]

You're young and have a lifetime of memories ahead of you. If this experience has impacted you so significantly, I think you resolve to not let it happen again (within reason). But I also agree with the earlier post...you don't want to miss special and fun moments because you're behind the camera. Balance is important.

[Citizensmith]

alcohol really helps. destroy enough braincells and you'll be missing the memories no more. They'll be gone for good and you'll forget you'll ever, umm.

What was I talking about, and where did I put my beer?

[dzstudios]

I have the same problem - I'm manic about 'taking each and every conceivable shot there could possibly be' and fret endlessly about the ones I missed. Lack of maturity, I decided... I guess when you grow up, you accept the inevitable.

I have ONE cure though - I write about it. In a diary, or a blog and I try and capture the essence, feelings and sensations in words... so later I read about it, and picture it just as clearly as when it happened.

So get WRITING!