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.
Jon Jefferson
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.
Candy Korman
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!
Andrea Flory
-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!
Candy Korman
I will keep an eye out for damp footsteps!