Photo Collages - My Travel Tradition

Photo collage from my recent trip to Australia!

Technology is constantly advancing. Trends come and go, but one thing that will never go out of style, is the beauty of a printed photograph. Digital photo albums, Instagram, Facebook, and so on, are all great, but there’s a unique magic that comes from holding a physical photo. A magic that technology just cannot reproduce.

I started a tradition, for every trip I go on I bring my instant Polaroid camera. The first day, I put in a fresh 10 pack of paper. By my last day, I have a little physical collage of memories.

Whenever there’s a moment I really want to remember, I pull out my turquoise camera and take a quick click. Moment captured. There are no retakes, re-dos, or posing 50 times to get the best angle. It’s so much more organic and real. Instead of being so caught up in getting the perfect photo that you forget to enjoy the moment, you are simply capturing the memory.

Confession: I am guilty of taking and retaking photos until the absolute perfect one comes out. And hey, sometimes it’s fun to have a mini photo shoot with your friends, hyping each other up, and exploring cool scenery until you find the most aesthetic background. But sometimes, it’s nice to just get lost in the moment...something that I feel like we all forget to do sometimes.

So I take my instant shots, live in the present, and then when I get home I print out a few more of my favorite pictures to add in.

It is this combination of quick one off shots and curated photos that I get to take home and look back on — the perfect souvenir.