Just recently (i.e. in the last week), I thought I might try my hand at scrapbooking. I know, I know, that was the hot thing like 5 years ago. There's a story there, but it's a sad story (actually, it's the sad story), so I'd rather not go into it. However, I've always been a photo person and a diary person, so it seems like a logical thing for me to get in to.
I've decided to do most of the work digitally and have it printed, and then maybe occasionally adding some physical embellishments later. There are a number of reasons for this: I've done quite a bit of computer graphics hobby work before, I've got the equipment I need already, cost is lower, and so on. However, I think a lot of the advantage can be summed up by two words: "undo button."
So basically all I needed was an album or two, and as it turned out the local craft stores were having big sales on scrapbooking items this week. (I have had several such incidents of synchronicity in the last year, especially when I most need one. It's been very cool, and very appreciated.)
What amazes me is just how much stuff there is for physical scrapbooking. There's albums and papers and cardstock and punches and letters and quotes and geegaws and... stuff. Lots and lots of stuff.
Which makes me glad that all I needed was an album or two (OK, I got two, different sizes), because this could very ea$ily turn very dangerou$ very fa$t.
It amazes me that there's still such a market for the physical supplies, because I would expect a lot more people to be doing layouts digitally. After all, I think most people have digital cameras these days, and the more photos you take, the more likely you are be digital because film and developing are expensive. I look 93 photos at the zoo on Monday -- small local zoo and I don't have kids (but one of the giraffes was positively playful that day, so I got buttloads of him running around and goofing off). That would have been 4 rolls of film (24 exposure) at $2 a pop, plus developing and prints at $3 a roll (if I mail them off). That would have been at least $20. Or, more accurately, that would have been 69 photos that wouldn't have been taken.
So, most people are digital these days, especially if they are non-professionals who take a lot of photos, like scrapbookers. You're already on the computer. Why not do it all there? You've got all sorts of tools, you've got an undo button, there are tons of free papers and embellishments out there or you can even scan the ones you already have. (Ignoring the intellectual property issues, because I don't even know where that lies in scrapbooking. If EVER there was a fuzzy line around "fair use", scrapbooking has got to have it.) You never run out of supplies, and you never have to worry about a toddler glueing herself to what would have been your latest project. If you want to share with another family member, you just print out an extra copy.
Of course, I suppose I am looking at it like an engineer, aren't I? After all, scrapbooking get-togethers wouldn't be so much fun if everyone just brought a laptop. Also, a lot of people are very tactile. They just don't connect through a computer the way they do to physical paper and photos. I admire their abilities to be precise and flexible with their supplies, because I'll admit I get balled up trying to scrapbook physically.
And, there are a lot of people who think they can't "do" computers. Some of them will even tell you that they can't do computer while they are in the midst of correct photo red-eye, cropping out the messed up bits of a photo, and then correcting the exposure. *shrugs*
Still, I think there must have been some good marketing behind all the scrapbooking stuff out there. And maybe an "ooh, shiny" factor, too. :)
