Danang, Vietnam. December, 1966.Only two days new to the country, the author tours Danang.

words and images by Warren Wilson

Remember the photo album? Now a relic, it was a reminder of the past. It showed us the good old days of family, friends, events and gatherings—some long forgotten. It was used to help knock those cobwebs out of our memory bank.

Yes, a thing of the past. In this digital age, we have conveniently done away with the desire to physically hold a photograph. We no longer need to purchase film. And, there is no longer a necessity to take the film to the drugstore for prints. Why should we? We have it all there on our computers.

And, that is the problem. It’s all on the computer. Beginning with the premise that you have a backup of all your digital files, I ask “When was the last time the family sat down at the computer and viewed the family photos?”

No need to answer. I think I already know what you’d say. You see, I have had the same problem. I have at least ten years of images on my computer. Yes, they’re separated, for the most part, from the rest of the junk.

A Boy and His DogSummer, 1956. A couple years ago, I realized that having all my images stored on the computer didn’t help when I wanted to share them. So, I went to the craft store, bought a large photo album (500-4”x6”) and began printing my images. I’m on my third book of images now.

So, go ahead. Dust off that hard drive and take a walk down memory lane. Print your images. It’s really isn’t that expensive! You can get a 4”x6” print for as low as $.15. Put them in a photo album. Who knows? You may even place a smile on a sick friend’s face with that photo of the two of you windsurfing!

Brother and Sis