The retired media professional from Bern has always loved to take pictures: He takes everything from snapshots on journeys, unforgettable collections of photos at events and simple, special everyday moments. We were able to get to know Peter, 74, from Bern, a little better following an appeal in our customer survey. He revealed what went into the total of 107 photobooks he has designed so far.
Turtle doves – a picture taken in September 2020.
From analogue to digital photography
As a long-standing customer, Peter used to have his photographs developed into photo prints by Photocolor Kreuzlingen and glued a selection of them into photo albums. He ordered his first digital photo book in July 2006: It was a small 24 page spiral photo book of pictures of the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern. When he retired in 2006, he resolved to create a photo book after each trip. He would go on to produce a photo book every three months, with others to mark big trips and events. His resolution back then is now reflected in an impressive 107 photo books and some 7,500 pages brimming with countless memories. The amateur photographer has even added a professional touch to his photo books with a perfectly structured table of contents so he can keep track of the photo memories across all the different pages. Capturing these little memories, holding on to them and remembering them as he browses through the books is what inspires him to take photos and then make photo books out of them.
Bookshelf full of photo books – The collection of 107 photo books is an impressive sight.
When you take pictures, you can capture brief moments for a long time. It gives you an almost philosophical feeling of being able to overcome the transience of time. I also have a pretty poor memory, and photos help me remember moments I would otherwise have forgotten.
In the year of coronavirus, like so many others, Peter has not been able to travel far. And has explored the beauty nearer home instead. And while he has captured fewer moments for his photo books, he has often gone down a trip down memory lane with his collection.
At the end of the interview Peter says: «In the same way I can add an external hard drive to add to my laptop memory, the photos add extra capacity to my limited memory.»
