A conversation about old photos

A conversation about old photos

When was the last time you shared a photo that inspired a great conversation?

I’m not talking about image content to stimulate ‘viral shares’ or ‘click bait’ I’m talking a good old catch up and a leisurely meander down memory lane. One of those conversations that make you grin and maybe even give a little sigh.

Today’s blog is a story that I hope inspires you to share an old photo and dive into a conversation.

A few weeks ago, a friend mentioned she had run into her first high school sweetheart in the street and she asked me did I know where mine was?

conversation

So, I decided to conduct a little experiment and see what kind of conversation and emotions sharing an old photo could generate.

With thanks to the wonders of the internet it was easy to find said long lost sweetheart on social media. I took a deep breath and composed a short message.

“… I was flicking through some old photos and found a cracker of us.  Would love to reconnect and share…”

I hit send and went back to work because I could tell from my investigation (ok stalking), that he wasn’t a regular user of social media.  I promptly forgot all about it.  Two weeks later I was surprised to receive a reply.

“wow, what a cool surprise. Would definitely be keen to see what you’ve found.  I’ll prepare to be suitably embarrassed”

Straight off the bat he knew that this blast from his past (early 90’s) was bound to evoke some feelings – I was right!  Conversation = stories & emotions.

Because I have already scanned in all my old prints, adding date and other info, it was a simple thing for me to share the photos with him. If you need some tips for scanning be sure to download our guide below.

Without going to much further into our private exchange I’ve done a quick review of our message thread and tallied up the number of stories we swapped in what was a relatively short “conversation” over messenger.

Stories = 12

My favourite part was what he said when we talked of the photo evidence itself.

“Digital has changed the photo landscape so much.  We take so many now I don’t think we look back on many of them… I am positive I have that same photo in an album somewhere.  I’m inspired to conduct a rummage on the weekend and see what other gems I can dig up”

So not only did I have a pleasant and slightly giddy whirl down memory lane, I was even reminded of a few things I had forgotten!

I can safely say mission accomplished for my little experiment.

  • Shared photo – $0.00
  • Sparked conversation – $0.00
  • Exchanged stories – $0.00
  • Evoked emotion – $0.00
  • Recharged the memory bank – $0.00
  • Had fun – $0.00

Experiment result = priceless!

When was the last time you shared an old photo for the purpose of generating genuine conversation?

I challenge you to grab an old photo and use it to reconnect with someone from your past that you haven’t been in touch with for a long time.

Let me know if you’re going to take the challenge.  Bonus points if you come back and tell us how it went! Or why not start a conversation about your old photos with us using the link below!

Until next time, have a magical day.

Mara

 

1Comment
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