Do it TODAY!!!

[Queenie]

Hi all,

As many of you know, I've spent the last year scanning in my mum's photographs to my computer. I'm now nearly at the end of this task, just a few boxes of slides from the early 70's to go. There are literally thousands upon thousands of photos dating back to the Victorian era all the way up to, well yesterday actually!

Something fewer of you will know is that my dad died suddenly of a heart attack in 1991. It was a week after my 5th birthday, my sister was 20 at the time. This is where the sad part comes in. In the tens of thousands of photos I have scanned, there is not one single picture showing me, mum, dad and my sister together. Not one. Every other combination is shown, sisters together, sisters with one parent, parents together etc but none with all of us, not even one with, say, 3 of us looking at the camera and the 4th somewhere off in the distance.

I just wanted to post this and say get a family shot today, because you never know what will happen tomorrow. We never expected to lose dad, he just drove off to work that morning exactly as he had every other morning for years and years. It doesn't matter that it may not be the best picture ever taken, it doesn't need perfect composition or a perfectly balanced exposure, just pop that camera down on a table somewhere and get a picture of you all together because you'll regret it so much if you never do.

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

Thank you for sharing what surely must be a painful memory.

Our last family photo is from August of 2006, the one everyone takes in front of the Castle. We have no other current photos of us. This must change.

Thank you again Queenie.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Oh Queenie, what a sad story, but thank you for the nudge in the right direction.
DH's dad died when he was 1 week old and we have no pictures of his dad holding him, or with the 3 of them together. It breaks my heart.

And we have a similar problem to you, DH is always behind the camera, which is why we try to utilize photopass as much as possible. But you are right, we need more shots then just Disney.

off to add that to my list of things to do this year. At least 5 shots of the whole family.

 

[happycampers]

We get a family shot at least every Thanksgiving and Easter. I would say Christmas, except that we didn't get one this past year.

I completely understand what you mean about taking those special pictures. My son was almost 5 months old when we lost my mom to leukemia. I kept looking through all the pictures hoping to find a picture of her holding him. I had given up for a long time, upset that I hadn't taken any pictures of her holding him although she held him every chance she got. I wasn't good about keeping a "baby book" for him. I recorded the milestones on a calendar. One day, I was looking in the baby book wondering about what pictures and things needed to be put in there, when I found it. I don't know who took it. It's not in my negatives (before I went digital). Dad's not a big picture taker. I figured it was my MIL. So I asked her so that I could get another copy printed. She said she doesn't have it in her negatives either. I'm so glad I have that picture, though.

 

[PrincessNancy96]

We too did not have pictures of all together... mainly the kids especially on vacation. My kids seems to have wonderful trips to WDW and other places but very few times are DH and I in the photos with them... We agreed that, that must change. From that time forward we have always made sure when we are out an about on family time we take photos of the kids, DH and I, DH and the kids, me and kids and since I figured out the timer..all of us... it doesn't happen every single time but it is more often than not now... Now our albums are family albums...not just kids...

I do understand the lose of those photos those.. I have no photos of my Granny w/ DS11.. She passed 2 weeks before his 1st birthday.. He and I were on the bed holding her hand when she passed.. he was kissing on her arm. The next week he went in for surgery.. I prayed for Granny to watch over him and she did.. Than I have no photos of my kids w/ Pap. ;( It breaks my heart...

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

Oh Queenie!

Thanks for the reminder! I try to get pics of all of my family whenever we're together--sometimes much to their annoyance! But, I treasure them, and I know how wonderful it is to have them! Thanks again, Queenie!

 

[Mickster]

I know! I made a tradition that we take a self family portrait on New Years eve. I have several now. I also make sure to take a picture of us with the kids on our birthdays. I am not as good at getting the pictures with the grandparents, but I take sooooo many pictures. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[party of 3]

thanks so much for this kick in the butt queenie. you are completely right about doing it today. i am the pic taker around here so they are all of dh and ds together or just ds. we have a few of the 3 of us, mainly on vacation. i am going to make this a point to do it more often.
thanks a bunch for the reminder. i'm sure quite a few of us needed to hear it.

 

[Lisa]

Queenie, I am so sorry, I know how much having just one family picture means. I have only one of my parents, me, and my siblings, and I was only three months old.

I have just one of my mother's father holding her as a baby. I've scanned them this week.

On the bright side, how cool is it that you have family pictures going back to the Victorian age.

 

[Queenie]

They are truly amazing pics. I have some group shots that include my grandma as a baby, vacation photos from the 1920s, my grandad's shots from when he travelled all over Europe as a soldier in WW2. Some time I'm planning on putting some online for the genealogy buffs to fawn over! For now, here's one favourite that I printed and have framed in the hall:

The baby is my grandma Agnes K, the young couple standing at the back on the right hand side are her parents Agnes M & William and the older lady holding her is William's mum Emily.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

so cool Queenie, I see your face in Agnes M, you have her smile.

I am so jealous that you have so many photos. We had to go dumpster diving when my grandparents moved to a retirement home. My Pepere threw out all the pics. Mom and Dad retrieved them from the trash every night. But who knows how many were missed.

 

[New England Eeyore]

You're so right about that, Queenie. I'm so sorry you don't have that family photo. My mom died when I was 9, and since she was ALWAYS the one behind the camera, the photos of her are few and far between. I cherish all of them. Unfortunately, I'm guilty of the same thing - rarely handing the camera over to someone else.

DH has a grand total of 3, that's right, 3 photos of himself as a child. But don't even get me started on his parents.