Three Necessary Things
There are three things I always take with me when I travel, other than my laptop. These are three things that I took along with me even before digital technology became small enough to fit in a backpack. I use them to varying degrees on each journey, but they help me record my memories for later use, on those days when I am writing a story, on those days when I just want to remember.
A Sound Recorder: I used to take a cassette tape recorder along with me when I traveled. Now I have a digital recorder that I can use to download sounds and conversations directly to my laptop. I haven’t had it very long so I haven’t used it all that much. When I’m traveling I slip the recorder out of my day bag and turn it on at moments when I feel the sounds around me are defining the space or place that I am in. My recording of the Paris metro is one of my favorites. Even if I take a cab from the airport to the apartment I try to ride the metro on my first day in the city. The sound of the doors opening and closing, and the ‘om’ it makes as it is ready to depart the station are unique to Paris and make me feel like I have arrived. I also use the recorder for interviews, to talk to people, to remember.
A Sketchbook Journal: Sketchbooks and journals are an addictive habit that starts as a student in art school. It’s not really until mid-life that they got serious, but they were worth keeping throughout my travels. Used to jot down notes, sketch a moment in time, and to hold pieces of paper picked up along the way. Journals are used to record the passion of the place, the poetry of the place.
Camera/s: Where would I be without my cameras? More so than journals, my camera is my record keeper. I can make hundreds of photos a day and tell you what I was thinking at each one, where I was, why I made them. I used to travel with my heavy metal Canon Ftb and two lenses, a 50mm standard lens and a zoom. Now I travel with a Canon dSLR with a zoom lens and a smaller point and shoot that can also shoot video. I haven’t yet gotten used to the dSLR. It’s as heavy as the old metal body and feels huge to me.
These three things are my tools for observation, for recording a sense of place. They are an extension of me, my eyes, my ears, my mind. While I am making my observations I am also connecting to the place that I am in. I’m not snapping as I walk, I’m not randomly shooting and then asking myself when I get home, Where was I?. I’m sitting. I’m contemplating. I’m studying the landscape around me.
These tools help me to be in the moment on my travels.
Tags: cameras, sketchbooks, sound
