This blog post was updated on November 2, 2018.
Flip through an album for a trip from a few years ago or even a few hours ago and you are bound to stumble upon those photographs that you have no idea where they are or what they may be.
Unless you take notes religiously or are a master scrap-booker, those photographs slip into the black hole of travel photography, never to be remembered.
You could have seen something amazing, only to be asked by a friend if have you seen that or this and you say no. Your memory has failed you.
In order to get full bragging rights or just to keep track of where you have been and what you have seen, here are a few tips to try on your next travel photo shoot:
Invest in your camera: Most digital cameras these days have a recording feature and text option where you can immediately punch in what you are seeing. The information then transfers to your computer when you upload your photographs. This is a good way to keep track of what you are seeing, without putting the camera down.
Take photographs of signs: It may just be another church in Europe, but if I think I will forget the name of the landmark or structure I am seeing, I take a picture of the sign. This often takes less than a second and it doesn’t require you to pull out a pen and paper to jot down what you are seeing.
There’s an app for that: It was only a matter of time before someone realized human beings are notoriously inquisitive yet forgetful at the same time. If you find yourself wondering what the name of a painting you admired at the Uffizi in Florence is, you can upload your photograph to the app lookitup and figure out what it is. There are other photo recognition apps dealing with anything and everything where all you need is a photograph of the image to find out what it is. From a travel perspective, you can snap photos of your favorite museum pieces and find out the details later.
Find the Flyers: It might not be the greenest way to travel, but collecting flyers of landmarks, museums, churches or towns can help with photograph recognition when you get home. If you grab a flyer wherever you go, chances are, you will find what you are looking for in those pieces of paper.
Flickr: Ed Yourdon
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How do you recall the who, what, where and when on your travel photographs?
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