The notebook I carry everywhere
A notebook is the place where a photograph’s missing context can live: a question, a sound, a small detail outside the frame. Follow a morning walk and the notes that turn its scattered observations into a coherent story.
Begin with a question
Before leaving, write a question you can observe. What changes between the first delivery and the first coffee? Which spaces are shared, and which remain private? Keep the question loose enough to follow something unexpected. Record a few words alongside the photographs so the eventual edit does not depend on memory alone.
Keep details in their own words
Note the location, time and the small sensory details a camera cannot carry. Distinguish an exact quotation from a paraphrase, and ask permission where a conversation may become published material. A useful notebook does not need a beautiful page. Abbreviations, crossed-out ideas and an unfinished sketch can preserve the texture of the moment.
Turn notes into a sequence
At the end of the day, read the pages beside the photographs. Choose an establishing view, a detail and a quiet ending, then use the notes to explain only what the pictures cannot. Verify factual information before publication and protect private details. Keep the original notebook even after the finished story; it records the path of attention, not just the polished result.
