Start With A Photo.
* Start With A Photo.
Start With A Photo:
Long ago photos were taken very selectively and each was a treasure, but it is not just old photographs which are in danger of losing their story. Today people take dozens of photos at one event and carelessly toss them in a box feeling assured that the memory has been captured. These packets of photos give people a false security that their family stories are saved and will be passed down. Today families feel so secure with this thought that they make very little effort even to write down who is in the photos and may never tell the photo-story. If these photo-stories are not saved will your great grandchildren know what happened by just looking at the photos? Will these large collections of photos all be saved? Not likely.
You may not think what you or your family do today is important, but it gives those who live in other places an educational view of different lifestyles. The photo-stories you save about today's events will be valued family treasures in the future. Click on the titles below to open the story windows. When you close a story window you will still be here.
To begin saving photo-stories you simply select a photo. I am sure you have some. If you're lucky your family will already have a photo album where the photos are in a time line order and there may even be some names and dates added. If you want to start deep into the past you may need to locate a family member who has became the keeper of your family's history. This person may also be the holder of many great photo memories. Ask family members and the trail should take you there. You may find you have several such keepers.
You need to handle original photographs with care. Use cotton gloves to prevent the oils from your hands damaging the photos. Some old photographs can be damaged by removing them from their frame or album. In such cases it is best to leave the removing to the experts and work from what is visible.
The first thing to do with the photo or photos you have selected is get a copy of them. You do not want to be carrying around and working with the originals. If you have a home scanner or know of one you can use then that is your very best choice because you can print a copy to carry with you. You then will also have the photo digitally saved for use when you get to the point of putting everything together. If there are any markings on the back of your photo or around the photo if it is in an album, make a copy of these also. You will find some good advice to help you learn more on scanning by visiting some of the resource links below.
A few scanning tips - Scanning - Basics 101:
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This site offers scanning tips and hints, help with fundamentals and other basic scanning information to help you get the most from your scanner. It includes a section on restoration of genealogical photos.Digital Photography Exposed:
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Filmless--photography (Digital). What is digital? Learn all about digital cameras and scanners and look at photos from each source.
1998 ThinkQuest Internet Challenge.The Complete Guide to Scanning:
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This site provides valuable information to anyone who needs to scan or digitize images.If you do not have a home scanner to use you may have to take your original into your favorite copy center and color copy it onto acid free paper. It is best to wait for freshly serviced machines. If your photo is not very old you may be able to find the negative, in this case a photo developing center can make a duplicate for you. If none of those options are available you could take a photograph of your photograph. Whichever way it must be done, get a copy and save the original.
Once you have your copy made get the original back into a place of safety. Photographs should be stored in boxes or albums which are labeled as being "Photo Safe" or "Archival-Quality". By using these you will be keeping your photos from having contact with acids that can harm your photos. Not all albums or photo boxes for sale are acid free so be careful while selecting. Do not use vinyl sheet coverings, magic albums, or laminate your photos. Photographs can last for hundreds of years if they are cared for correctly. You need to protect your original photos from fingerprints, moisture of any kind, extreme hot or cold, dust, direct sunlight and acids which are in some paper, plastics, and vinyl.
Every photo has a story and holds a bit of history no matter how unimportant it may seem now. Even if you think you know the story you may be surprised at what you will find by taking the time to do a little research. Use the forms in the "Photo - Story Kit" to help organize the facts you already may know about the photo. Look at the photo and at anything that may have been written on the back or on the album close to the photo. For now you are looking for things you already know and for the obvious. You will learn about finding more clues hidden in your photo in the section "Clues".
2000, The Bear Story.
