Vital Imagery Blog

Well, it's a momentous time of year. Calendar pages have been flipped and perused, decisions made and vacation days booked.

Typically, I tend to take my time off throughout the year as I see fit or as need dictates. This year, however, my husband and I have a different plan in mind. With an eye to a specific place we are focussing the majority of our holiday planning between the months of May and September.  Our decision is based on a need to hang out in an old haunt. To return to a stomping ground that shaped some of our best memories.

Because of my enjoyment of photography, we have revisited those memories over the years and often felt a strong draw to the place that created them. The pictures I took encapsulated a golden time in our lives — summers spent with our young family at a lakeside getaway. Friendships were made that have endured. Stories were written that we come back to with laughter when we meet those friends again.  And a resort town became our second home.

So, now…

A comment was made in a business meeting recently that really struck me. There was nothing particularly deep or profoundly insightful about it. It was, though, a few simple words put into question form that brought home the reality of today's world.

"Who would ever have thought that we would be using images to express feelings and emotions?"

The query was prompted by discussion regarding  the emojis, animations and stickers that accompany iMessages, Facebook statuses and even emails.  Without tone to convey sentiment or reaction, we incorporate emoticons bearing every imaginable countenance. Hearts, broken and otherwise, reveal deep feelings of love and passion.  Those playful emojis, animations and colourful static images lighten chats and add an element of whimsy to our messages. It's a new way to communicate in the era of smartphones and the death of conversation.

The use of visual elements, however, is also in play in a big way in blogs.  The importance of adding…