Document Everyday Life with a Digital Journal: Find Meaning in the Small Moments

Throughout my time making photographs, which is just about three years, I have found that the images I love most are the ones that I don't share because they are personal. I don't consider them a part of my photography and what I want to share with the world, but to me, they're the photos I look back on in my personal life with fondness.

These photos are usually of the little things in my life—going out to dinner with family, having a picnic at the park, etc. I have my camera with me every time I leave the house for this reason. I don't always take photographs when I'm out and about, but I do have my camera on me in case there is something I want to capture.

I think of it almost like a journal, but I like to call it a visual journal. Sometimes it's just fun to think of how you want to tell the story of what is happening in front of you in a photograph. Using my visual journal, I can tell the story of a day or a trip. As a whole, you can use it to look back at different periods of your life. This goes hand-in-hand with keeping your photographs organized in an accessible way so you can access your digital journal, easily going back to specific dates or events. If any of you have ever kept a physical or digital journal, you'll know that there are some days where you don't feel like there is anything interesting to talk about. Usually, when I was journaling, I would still try to journal on these days to keep up the habit. Often, I discovered I had more to say than I thought. You often have more to photograph than you think, even if it's just something as simple as snapping a picture of yourself cooking or having dinner.

I use the digital journal a little bit differently than a traditional one. For me, it is more of a memory box and less about my inner monologue, like a regular journal would be. I don't make photographs every day of my life, although I can see how some would enjoy doing that. For me, it's about documenting the moments that matter to you, and that's going to mean something different for everyone and will evolve over time.

By working on my visual journal, I have found a way to work on my visual storytelling while documenting my everyday life. Whether it’s a quiet dinner with loved ones or a vacation, these photos help me remember not just what happened, but how it felt. I encourage anyone who enjoys photography to have a visual journal and document their lives. Over time, you might find that these personal photos become some of your most cherished, just like mine.