This is a picture I took in Shanghai, China.  It was a picture I almost lost.  A few days after taking this picture, I was trying to restore a setting on my camera.  Being the technology wizard that I am, I just started pushing buttons.  In the process, I reformatted my memory card.  I knew immediately I had done something very wrong.  My husband reminded me of some advice we were given when we first bought the camera.  I took the memory card out of the camera and replaced it with a new one.  When I got home, I took the damaged one to a camera store where a professional was able to restore my pictures.  I was very lucky – disaster was averted!

It is always good to carry an extra memory card with you.  Another time, we were on an Alaskan cruise and took a shore excursion that went into the Yukon.  We were in the middle of nowhere and my memory card reached its fill.  I did not have another card with me and began deleting pictures I felt I could live without so I could take more pictures of this remarkable place we were seeing.  I should have tucked an extra memory card in my camera bag or purse.

I have done a few things right.  One is to look at photos of places we will be visiting before we actually leave.  Often I will find a perspective that I would like to have.  The picture below is similar to one I had seen prior to leaving on our trip to Italy.  It is a picture I took of the Pompeii ruins with Mt. Vesuvius in the background.  Looking at photographs others have taken can give you ideas for ones you might like in your collection.

When I get home, I use software to create a book of my favorite photographs.  My books include some of our personal experiences as well as information about the pictures themselves.  This often involves additional research, but it is something I enjoy.  I also make a calendar for the following year with travel pictures.  The calendar serves as a pleasant reminder of our trip.

And as much as I love photography, I need to remind myself to take time to appreciate the view with just my eyes and not through a viewfinder.  It is important to enjoy the moment – those moments will become memories as well!