Big Photo Project

[Queenie]

Hi all,

I'm just working on a huge photo project - namely scanning all the family photos at my mum's house. These date from the late 1800's and there are literally tens of thousands! It's so tedious scanning them all in 4 at a time, naming and saving but it's great fun looking back. Just seeing the decor in the house changing (you can spot the ones taken in the 1970s a mile off!) and the fashions changing is fascinating, and that's not even including the stuff being photographed. Tonight I'm working on an album of pets, it's great seeing the old animals again, I still miss them all. Some I'd even forgotten about, like the goat my uncle owned when I was really little.

I just realised that if anything were to happen to mum's house (like a fire), we'd lose everything - all the photos of me, my sister and my parents growing up, basically every photo ever taken of my dad and grandparents. It just doesn't bare thinking about!

How do you guys have your old photos organised??

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I have been doing the same thing. My mom has the originals and I have copies on CD and on my computer. I'm in the process of making more CD copies to put in a safety deposit box at the bank. My fear is something happening to my computer and losing my pictures that are on it.

If you can't put the pictures in the bank then I would get a fire proof safe for your house. Also if your sister doesn't live with you or your mum then make copies and give one to mum and one to you sister. That way if someone does have a fire then there are still copies out there.

Especially scan the ones from the 70's. For some reason they are not holding up as well as ones from even the 1700's. They must have changed something on the processing or the paper itself but ours are fading fast. It stinks too because I was born in the 70's.

Don't forget to scan any papers too. I have my grandfathers travel papers from Italy during WWII. We shrank them and put copies in everyones heritage albums. And wedding announcements, birth announcements etc...

Sorry I get on a tangent when it comes to preserving history. I didn't mean to give you more work to do.
It is so sad when we go to a flea market here and see entire family albums for sale. It breaks my heart.
I have been known for dumpster diving for family photos when my grandparents moved. They threw out boxes of pictures that we took from the dumpster and saved. And they are now in our heritage albums.

Good luck!!!!

 

[Queenie]

That's exactly what we do with digital photos. Every time we get a CD's worth (which with the speed at which I take pics, doesn't take long) I back up onto 3 discs. One stays here, one goes to my mum and one to my sisters house. With some pics, like Florida, a copy also goes to Scott's parents.

Certificates and things are on the list for after the photos as I'd rather have pics preserved than certificates so I want them doing first. I know what you mean about the 1970's ones, ours are now all funny colours and pale - luckily I can fix most of them on my computer. My sister was born in the 70's so she wants them all preserving and fast! She has software on her computer that can transfer home video from tapes to the computer and then onto DVDs so she's working on that whilst I get photos.

I hate seeing old photos on the flea markets, all those stories lost forever.

 

[New England Eeyore]

Good for you for doing this. I'm doing it also, but it's more of a gradual process for me. I go batty sitting at the scanner for too long so I do it whenever I get some time. My mom and maternal grandmother have passed away, so while I have all the photos from my mom's childhood and some from my grandmother's, I don't have anyone to tell me the stories behind the pictures. I was too young when they passed to think to ask those kinds of things and now I really wish I had stayed in touch with some of my mom's family. For my Dad's side there are lots of family members to ask (he was one of nine) but not quite as many photos (he was one of nine ). My paternal grandmother is having lots of short term memory issues but her long term memories are phenomenal so its nice to sit with her sometimes and listen to the stories.

I did scan in my parents entire wedding album and all the proofs - and they got married in the 70s so of course I want to preserve the crazy fashions there! I do want to redo their album as it was just 8 x 10s in the album proper and all the proofs were in a magnetic album (Don't worry - they're not anymore.)

So many projects, so little time!!

 

[Queenie]

My parents married in the 70's too, my mum was wearing a purple mini dress (mini being the operative word!!!!!) My dad's shirt has to be seen to believed, as does his hair and the comedy beard he's sporting.