While I wouldn't describe myself as the family historian, I have always been the person behind the camera at family gatherings. Now in retirement, my focus has shifted towards preserving and passing on the legacy of our family memories. Lately, I have started looking into my family tree, sifting through old photographs, and delving into our past. This journey has allowed me to establish a deeper connection with my own history and understand the significance of the documents and pictures in my possession. It dawned on me one day that these invaluable memories, these visual fragments of our family's narrative, were in danger of disappearing forever. This realization prompted me to launch a project to digitize our family's photo collection and distribute it among relatives to ensure that our legacy endures.
Like most worthwhile endevours this project will be time consuming and I wanted to do it well. The worst outcome would be spend all of my time and energy and not achieve the outcome I wanted - to create an accessable family archive for my relatives. I read and viewed several tutorials on how to go about various aspects of the process but most seemed to be either superficial or partial solutions or else focused on what to do but not how to do it in practice. Of course all our projects will be different; we each have differing ambitions, knowledge and equipement. So let me begin by explaining my current set up.
My Devices and Software
The primary computer I use is a PC situated in a room that I've transformed into a home office. I manage all my digital images using the Adobe Lightroom application, with the Library organized by "topic." Since most of my images are related to travel, I categorize them by countries or locations, as this aligns with how my mind functions when searching for something specific. Apart from travel, I maintain various folders dedicated to "My family," primarily sorted by date. I have included a screenshot for reference. My Lightroom library mirrors the contents of my hard drive - any changes made to an image in Lightroom are reflected on my hard drive as well. While I don't intend for this to be a Lightroom tutorial, I should mention that I primarily work with images through Lightroom's "Collections." These collections are structured similarly, but a photo can belong to multiple collections. For example, a picture of my wife taken in 2023 may be present in both the Rome collection and the My family collection for 2023. Aside from my home PC I have an apple tablet, an android phone and a chromebook. The Chromebook is in my apartment in Turkey and acts as my "PC" when I stay out there.
I also have a newish printer and scanner the Cannon G600. This is a pretty decent and economical printer which I use for prits around the home and ad hoc scanning and copying. I also have a second scanner which is the Epson V300 which although old and slow is able to scan negative film and slides and is pretty good quality. I still do film photography and develop film at home and the V300 converts my film negatives to digital files.
My Photo Archive (Prints)
Outside of lightroom our printed family photographs fall into a couple of catergories.
a) Our childrens photo albums
The majority of the photos capturing our children's growth and family vacations are from the pre-digital era, printed as 6x4 photos and neatly arranged in flip albums according to approximate dates. Most of them have annotations on the back noting the date, place, and individuals featured. These photos are well-organized and should be straightforward to convert into digital format while preserving all the accompanying information.
b) Our legacy photographs
Photographs passed down to us by our parents or acquired through other sources present a diverse collection. Some are stored in low-quality albums or affixed to cardboard pages, while many are loose and in varying conditions. Most lack dates. Additionally, I possess numerous negatives, mainly related to our children's photo albums, along with other negatives and a couple of boxes of slides.
c) Family History
In exploring my own family tree and history I am aquiring documentation such as Birth Certificates and maps etc. I'm realising that some documentaion I already have (and was considering discarding) might be of interest to future generations. Photographs of properies we have lived, cars owned and more mundane information shuch as schoold reports areall taking on a new meaning. I hope to incorporate some of this material into the Family history archive - I whatever format that might be.
Why am I doing this & what do I want to achieve?
Prior to beginning this project, I took some time to consider the desired outcomes. This thoughtful approach can assist in determining the best course of action. If you are contemplating a similar project, there are various factors to consider before embarking on it.
Converting an entire archive into a digital format and making it accessible to family members can be both fulfilling and demanding. The primary advantage of digitizing a photographic collection is preservation. Physical photos are susceptible to damage, fading, or loss over time. Scanning these images enables us to create a digital backup that can be securely stored, ensuring the preservation of these memories for future generations.
Digitization also provides the advantage of accessibility. A physical print can only exist in one location at a time. Once the photos are digitized, they can be easily shared with family members, regardless of their location. This facilitates the enjoyment and exploration of family history for everyone. Sharing these photos can initiate discussions, revive forgotten memories, and even reconnect distant relatives.
Another significant benefit is the potential for storytelling. Through digitizing and organizing these photos, we can craft an interactive family history that surpasses mere names and dates. We can incorporate context, details, and personal anecdotes, transforming a collection of images into a compelling narrative of our family's past. This fits nicely with exploring my own family history and associated documents.
Considerations Before You Begin
While the idea of digitizing your family archive is exciting, it's important to take a step back and plan before jumping in. Here are a the areas of the project I worked through before I started doing anything and it may provide a useful checklist for you. As this post is an introduction to my journey I'm not going into detail here but my future posts will delve into the detail.
Scope of the Project: How large is the archive? Are we talking about a few albums or boxes and boxes of photographs? The scope will determine the time, effort, and resources needed for the project.
Quality vs. Quantity: Do you plan to scan every single photograph, or will you be selective? Some photos may be duplicates, blurry, or of less significance. Defining the criteria for selection early on can save a lot of time.
Remedial Work - Are some photographs in poor condition with tears or creases. Will you repair them and how?
Equipment and Software: What kind of scanner will you use? Will you need a flatbed scanner for delicate or fragile photos, or can you get by with using a phone? Also, consider what software will best suit your needs for organizing and editing the images.
Metadata and Organization: Think about how you want to organize the digital files. Will you categorize them by date, event, or family member? Adding metadata—such as names, dates, and locations—will make it easier to search and find specific photos later on.
Storage and Backup: Digital files need to be stored securely. You'll need a reliable storage solution, such as an external hard drive or cloud storage. And don't forget about backups—multiple copies stored in different locations will protect against accidental loss.
Family Involvement and Collaboration: Involving family members from the start can make the project more meaningful. Who else might have photos, stories, or knowledge to contribute? How will you collaborate and share the workload?
Sharing: How to you make the archive available to others?
Getting Started
Bear in mind that I'm wrting these blog posts as I'm working my way through my own project. The first step and the one I have already completed is to take stock of what you have. Go through your photgraphs and make an assessement of the scope of the project based upon the above checklist. If you have family members may have photos of their won you want to include speak to them and get their input.
In my upcoming posts, I'll delve deeper into each of these considerations, sharing tips and best practices to help make your project a success. Together, we'll explore everything from selecting the right equipment to organizing your digital archive, preserving your family's precious memories, and ensuring the legacy lives on for generations.
By taking the time to thoughtfully digitize and share these photographs, you're not just preserving your family's history—you're creating a living archive that can continue to grow and evolve as new memories are made.
Let's get started on this journey of preserving and sharing the stories that make us who we are.This is just the beginning! Stay tuned for more posts where I'll share detailed guidance on each of these considerations. Have you already started your own digitization project? What challenges or surprises have you encountered? I'd love to hear your stories and insights!
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