I’m never without a notebook — for stray ideas and interesting facts — but sometimes it’s easier to pull out my phone and take a quick photo. Sometimes I’m snapping a photo of a poster on the street so I can go to the website associated with the advertised event. But most often this is at a museum, when I’ve been looking at the work of an unfamiliar artist or the museum’s commentary is particularly intriguing. I’ve seen other people do it, too.
But when I was walking to the post office the other day (yes, I still use snail mail sometimes) I saw a man stop and take a photo of an innocuous doorway, before moving on down the street. Always curious, I stopped to examine the doorway. There wasn’t much THERE there. It was just an unremarkable metal door with some graffiti and a small cartoon character sticker. If I had to guess, I’d say that it was a service entrance that was kept locked when not in use.
Looking at the door, I started to wonder about why the man had stopped to take a photograph. Was the sticker part of an urban scavenger hunt? Was it a private message announcing a meeting of a secret society? Had I stumbled onto a spy ring’s message board?
Acknowledging the irony of my actions, I took a couple of photos. Laughing at myself as I walked along and wondering if my digital, note taking was noted by another passerby.
I tend to take pictures of random stuff when I am out and about. Sometimes you see something that sparks an idea and want a clue to remember it later.
Sure you could write it down but a picture can be a faster note.
Yes, the speed of note taking makes the phone/camera a fabulous tool. Of course, sometimes the pen is the mightier instrument. I came up with a cool idea for the novel-in-progress the other day and whipped out the phone with its note taking app. Of course it kept “auto-correcting” and slowed me down. A pen doesn’t “fix” my spelling of unusual names and words. LOL!
-giggles- Oh definitely a drop box for the Green Seahorse Society! They walk among us, cunningly disguised as normal citizens, but if you look carefully, you’ll notice they leave damp footsteps wherever they go!
I will keep an eye out for damp footsteps!