The purging continues. Today we tackled the Camera Cupboard. This place above one of our desks has held generations of cameras and camera equipment. Today we pulled out every camera, cord, and charger and spread them all over the table to sort them out. We found probably 10 different cameras of all shapes and sizes. These cameras have traveled with us all over the world, capturing and preserving memories that bring us great joy.
My camera today is in my iPhone. When I don’t have a pocket, it slips into my bra (my chest of drawers). It’s always at my fingertips. The photos I take now are free. I don’t have to wait and pay for developing. I can edit a bad photo in the moment. Our whole photographing world has changed with the iPhone camera. I would never go back. Still, I could not take my expensive old cameras (Canon EOS, Canon Rebel, and Nikon) to the thrift store. I put them carefully back into their carrying bags and sent them to the Farm House cellar with Claire’s stuff. Maybe one day she’ll want a “vintage” camera. She’s a photographer. All of the little pocket cameras did depart today, along with lots of cords and chargers and pocket tripods.
As we empty our home, I’ve tried to photograph how things look before I pack each room. It’s not easy dismantling and extracting our life from this wonderful home. I want to capture every place memories were made.
I’ve been working in Claire’s room, emptying her life into boxes. It’s emotional work. We’ll store her things until she has a place for them. I loved packing up Claire’s shelf full of journals, her school scrapbooks and her first laptop computer (she wants to try to get back into it to see the time capsule stored there).
The Before:
