Goodbye Winnie the Pooch

     Yesterday was perhaps the hardest day I have ever experienced.  My family lost our first "child", Winnie the Pooch.  Whether you feel animals are family members or not is up to you.  As for me, the loss is heartbreaking.
     One thing my wife and I did shortly after Winnie died is to look at her scrapbook.  My wife is very diligent with the organization of our life in photos, for which I am thankful.  I don't believe there's any way to remember the past 15 1/2 years of one's life quite like seeing photos of your family with a beloved pet, starting from the day you bring her home, to the time they meet your first human child, to the trusting look on their faces as they age, knowing you will take care of them even when they no longer have that puppy like spunk.
     As a photographer I feel the need to urge readers to look at their own photography habits and the way they store and organize their photos.  I am a big fan of all things photographic and camera related.  I am fully digital and recently started playing around with the camera on our tablet.  I love sharing photos on Facebook and looking at our family photo albums.  I don't necessarily recommend forcing your own personal family albums on those who may seem interested and throw in the occasional "Oh, isn't that nice?".
     However, with digital it's very easy to take a photo, have it sent directly to the folder on the device that you currently are shooting with or uploaded to a social networking site and relying on your memory and the life span of an electronic gadget to preserve the history of your life.
     My point is that I am a firm believer in the hard copy preservation of your memories.  Not only for your benefit, but also for those in future generations who may have an interest in their family's history.  Please, either get a system down that makes it easy for you to print your photos at home, or use a good local lab like www.capecodphotoandart.com or www.orleanscamera.com .  Or if those labs aren't close, try www.mpix.com .  Whatever you do, don't trust the wonders of digital photography to a cloud of unorganized memories that may be lost forever when you upgrade your computer.
     I will forever cherish the print of the pixels below as well as the memories they evoke!

In loving memory of Winnie the Pooch.

August 9th, 1997 ~ December 26th, 2012.