This morning while I was going through my feed reader and scanning things on tumblr I came across a post from Justin Day’s Tumblr that led me to this post. It is worth the read believe me.

Yesterday I came across a slightly mysterious website — a collection of Polaroids, one per day, from March 31, 1979 through October 25, 1997. There’s no author listed, no contact info, and no other indication as to where these came from. So, naturally, I started looking through the photos. I was stunned by what I found.

I read through this story about a man who took a photo every day until the day he died. This one is from April 23, 1979.

Who was this man? And who decides to take a photo everyday for 18 years?

As a senior at Bard College in 1979, Jamie Livingston acquired a Polaroid camera. After a few weeks, he noticed that he was taking about one picture a day, and shortly thereafter he decided to continue doing so.

The project, which quickly evolved into something of an obsession, began with a snapshot of Mindy Goldstein, Mr. Livingston’s girlfriend at the time, along with another friend, both of them smiling at something outside the frame. It ended 18 years and more than 6,000 photos later with a self-portrait of the photographer on his deathbed on his 41st birthday.

The narrative that unfolds between those two images tells the story not only of the friendships Mr. Livingston forged over the years but also the evolution of a city. It charts New York’s progression from an era of urban decay and fiscal crisis to a place characterized by the economic recovery that had arrived by the time of Mr. Livingston’s death, of melanoma, in 1997. This was especially true downtown, where he lived for much of the period covered in the photographs.

Before Mr. Livingston died, his friends Hugh Crawford and Betsy Reid promised they would not let the project die with him. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of their friend’s death, they digitally photographed the Polaroids and reproduced them for an exhibition at Bard, in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.

Mr. Crawford also loaded the images onto a Web site (photooftheday.hughcrawford.com) so they could be experienced in their entirety.

As the cityscape has changed, many of the pictures have accrued meaning. “They often don’t mean anything by themselves,” Mr. Crawford said. “But when you put them all together, they take on a life of their own.”

Ms. Reid, who met Mr. Livingston in 1985, cited other benefits of the collection. “When I look at a picture that I was involved in or know about,” she said, “you’re just sent right back in time and you just remember everything about that day.”

It is a truly touching story. It got me thinking about what stories like this mean for my generation. The digital age. I myself have quite the collection of Polaroids. I collect vintage Polaroid cameras, something I started back in high school. I even decided that I wanted to remember my 21st birthday only in Polaroids. However I also have a few good digital cameras. I was a photography major and photography is certainly my first love.

There have been many daily photo projects across the web. Photojojo has one called Project 365 and many people have started to take a photo a day and put it on the web. There are flickr groups and other sites just dedicated to this.

But what if you decide to do this, take a photo a day, or any amount of photos for that matter, and put them on the web. What happens if flickr gets taken down, or changed their terms of service, where do the photos go?

I attended a panel discussion this past March at SXSW about where our content goes when we die. It was not a very good panel, mainly because they were really just trying to pitch a service they were creating, but it got me thinking. What will this generation leave behind?

Many of us know that we should always back up our content. Photos, videos, etc. But these days many people are creating content that goes straight to the web. It didn’t originate on your computer. Sites let you take a picture with your webcam straight to the site. I record videos straight onto viddler sometimes. Now of course many of these services will let you download the source files, but who really takes the time to do all of that?

It will be very interesting to see the types of digital artifacts that this group of web savvy people leave behind.

Around the holidays everyone is scrambling to find the perfect gifts. Well I thought I could do my best to give you this geek’s wish list for perfect gifts.

1. The Kodak Zi6 – Now while many people may see this camera as a flip knock-off, I see a bigger better screen, rechargeable batteries, and no red light in the front while recording (unlike the flip) This allows for super secret stealth recording. Plus (and I hate to say this) I do love pink gadgets.

2. The Sanctuary – This takes all your gadgets, keys, and everything else coming out of your pockets at the end of the day, and puts it in one neat box that also hides all the wires and keeps everything neat. You might say, ok Sarah that’s nice but what is so special about this?

It comes with a universal charger compatible with over 1500 electronic devices from most major brands and a USB port. It can charge whatever you got! All you need is a spot that will hold the 9″ x 9″ box (23 x 23 cm). Oh and in case you were wondering, it works with 220V and 110V.

3. Canon 5D Mark II – With 21.1 megapixels and HD video can you really blame me for wanting this?

“Professional photojournalists and wedding photographers already choose the EOS 5D for its discrete size and outstanding image quality,” said Mogens Jensen, head of Canon Consumer Imaging. “The addition of HD movie recording opens a new chapter for EOS. It creates new possibilities for EOS photographers to capture and share their stories and to stay relevant in a rapidly changing digital landscape.”

Now I don’t blog about photography because it is my first love. Before the internet, before social media, before I was a blogger or a vlogger, I was a photographer.

If you are thinking about picking this up for yourself or as a gift do yourself a favor and only buy the body. DO NOT get the kit with the lens. Just buy a fixed 50mm EOS lens to start with and you will be much better off.

4. Polaroid PoGo Printer – A mini polaroid printer that can print via bluetooth from a cell phone or from being plugged into your digital camera is awesome in my book. The printer prints 2” x 3” borderless, sticky-back prints. A must gift for all your friends who take a million photos at the party. Now they can have this tiny printer and stick the picture right to your back.

5. Revel lighting – Reveal is a new type of ambient interior lighting. It creates the impression of sunlight streaming through a window and onto an interior wall. The image projected by REVEAL is unique
and cannot be recreated by any other device. Multi-plane analog images create real depth of focus. Air currents through the projector create organic non-repeating movement in the trees. The lamp color closely mimics multi-spectrum sunlight. How cool is this! You know you want it.

6. TriniTEA Electric Tea Maker – This is the ULTIMATE tea gadget! I am so sick of coffee drinkers getting all the gadget fun. So this goes on my list for all us tea geeks. This wondrous appliance does it all – heats water, steeps leaves, and keeps tea warm. Variable timer and temperature control let you adjust the strength of an infusion, ensuring a perfect cup of tea each time.

7. Apple Macbook – You know it can’t be a wishlist of mine without Apple products. I have been moving around a lot and realizing that life without a laptop is not as easy as it seemed. So the new macbook seems the most practical. We all know the reasons to buy it so I am not even going to waist your time with why it is amazing.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season. And remember, jewlery never hurts either.