Have you ever been somewhere, and there posted on the door, usually in rather large letters, is “No Camera’s Allowed”? As a scrapbooker, I think that might be my biggest pet peeve. But I do understand that places such as museums and other attractions sometimes have those rules, and I understand why. But it sure doesn’t help me much when I want to scrapbook the event and wish I had pictures.
So what do you do when there are no camera’s allowed?
Well, you can be like the dishonest people I keep seeing everywhere who are strategically “dialing” their cell phones. They aren’t dialing, they are using the camera phone. Scrapbooker’s don’t usually like cell phone pictures because they never turn out all that great. So don’t waste your time doing something that really is not okay.
There are alternative things you can do, that are not against the rules. They might not be exactly what you want, because it would be nice to have a photograph inside the building or exhibit or concert hall. But it will work.
Use Memorabilia
The first piece of advice I have, is to grab every brochure, etc. from the place. Typically there are photos inside these brochures that you can use on your layout. It might not be your family in the picture, but at least you can remember certain things about it. In addition, if the place you are visiting sells merchandise of any kind or has a gift shop, consider purchasing a program or postcards of the place. These can be cut apart and added to your layouts.
Stay Outside
No, don’t miss the exhibit or concert, make sure you attend it. But before, or after the concert, stage everyone in front of the door or a yard decoration outside and snap a photo. At least you will have a photograph taken from that day, near the place you were at. And they cannot get mad if you are outside with your camera snapping away.
Journal the Photo
That’s right. Journal the photo you wish you could have taken. Vividly describe what everyone was wearing, what they were doing and don’t forget to include your son’s quirky smile every time he saw something new. Use your words to describe the photo you wish you could have taken.
Draw
I’m not the best artist. In fact, I pretty much am really bad at drawing freehand. However, if you have any talent at all, sketch what your photo would have looked like. You can visualize in your head and draw it. Then stick it right on the page just like you would a photograph.
Hope a few of these ideas helped. There is nothing worse than remembering the camera and being happy about that, only to see “No Camera’s Allowed!” and missing that shot you were hoping to get!!
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