Print Your Memories
(Music while reading: Origin - Jakob Ahlbom)
Since I was a freshman, I joined the photography club at my university. Even though I’m not a professional photographer, I really enjoy capturing moments from my high school years with my phone, especially those amazing sunset views at our school that seemed like something out of another world. I joined the club because I thought it would be a fun experience, and because as a member, I could borrow cameras instead of buying my own. We often go on photo shoot trips around our university and sometimes even to nearby prefectures.
After these photo shoots, we usually put on photo exhibitions. Before I print out my photos, I like to edit them in Adobe Lightroom to tweak the lighting, color and tone. Sometimes I also use the filters in the app, and all this editing is really up to the photographer’s personal taste. I’m being honest, I’m not really sure how to do the photo editing, but I just change it to what I like. It’s really simple.
About printing. I discovered how to print photos, what kind of paper and printer to use, how to set up the printing settings, how to put the photos in frames and finally, how to get the exhibition ready by hanging the frames on our university wall. We all learned from the manual our club president put together. From there, I learned everything, from printing settings to adding captions to photos. Usually, the caption includes the photo title, ISO, aperture, focal length, and shutter speed. I also like to add music recommendations (usually songs that make people feel immersed in the photos) and a QR code to the reels I post on Instagram, just to connect with anyone who views them later.
After printing, we decided on a date for the exhibition. I rarely got to help with the setups because it clashed with my class, even though I was PIC for the photo exhibition. But when I did get a chance, I did join in. I learned how to position the photos so they’re at eye level, where to put the captions and how to set up the poster for the photo exhibition, including a feedback QR code. It was exhausting and I sweated a lot (because there weren’t any air conditioners in the halls haha), but you get a sense of accomplishment once everything is set up.
Up to this point, I never knew what other members’ photos would look like. When we exhibited our photos like these, we showed off maybe our best work (at least to me), where we picked the crème de la crème from hundreds or maybe thousands in our camera’s memory. I can clearly see that we were all beginners, but the photos really showed off each of our artistic abilities when we looked at something and tried to translate that into the photo we took and exhibited here.
One thing I really enjoyed about this photo exhibition was seeing our own photos printed out. It was a nice change from just scrolling through my phone. Plus, I sometimes get compliments or feedback in the comments and I always love hearing what people think about my work. I remember someone saying they loved the orange sky at dawn by the lake, and that made me so happy because I’m a big fan of sunsets and sharing that feeling with others is even better.
Now that I’m no longer in the photography club, I often think back to our trips and exhibitions. I think I’ve learned how artists get inspired, and it turns out it’s really their surroundings. I hope everyone who loves photography, art, music or anything artistic keeps making the world a more beautiful place by sharing their art and masterpieces with everyone.