Is a picture worth a thousand words? If so, I have enough to create my own personal set of encyclopedias. Anyone else share this dilemma with me?
When I was packing to make the move to Arizona, I unearthed a forgotten box of photos on a shelf in the basement. I’ll sort these later, I told myself. Well, later was this past month. With all my clubs and activities still shut down, and my favorite college basketball teams at a standstill, I decided to open the box and free up some closet space which is prized real estate in this much-smaller, basement-free home.
It was easy to rid myself of unmarked landscape pictures, and shots of flowers and gardens. Frankly, I eliminated vacation pictures that no longer have significance, but only after I relived the taste of salt water the first time I swam in the ocean, and the aromatic horse-drawn carriage ride around the streets of New Orleans. But family photos? The stack is tall, and it’s not going anyplace.
What was to be an afternoon’s work soon spilled into day two, then day three, then day four, and … you get the idea. I’ve made some progress and moved from one large box into four shoeboxes, sorted according to what made sense when I started. Eventually, I pulled out photo albums I’d created of a work trip to China, my three years in Japan, and a safari I took, and I got lost in the mountains of the Szechuan Province of central China, on the busy streets of downtown Tokyo, and in the wide-open savannas of the Serengeti. This is what photos do. They transport you to another place and time, sometimes sad or melancholy, other times joy-filled.
But a funny thing happened during this purging process. Suddenly, my photos stopped about a dozen years ago. It’s as if my life had no more stories when in fact, the past several years have included some of my most colorful experiences.
I know the answer, and so do you, I am sure. I have hundreds (I fear thousands) of photos tucked away in my computer or phone. My photo collection of hard copies can be traced to the use of a digital camera.
I began to think of folks who will never know the thrill of picking up an envelope of pictures from the photo counter at the drug store and ripping the package open by the time they got to the perfume section. And children and grandchildren who will never discover boxes of old family photos from past generations, and while away an afternoon discovering multigenerational resemblances or put faces with names found on a family tree. Or remember parents who left you much too soon.
Digital photos are wonderful, and with a quick click, it’s easy to get rid of blurry or meaningless shots. But looking at a computer (or phone or iPad) is not the same as fingering the edges of experiences and people you are meant to recall.
I’m determined to print some of my photos and make more albums in 2021. In the meantime, I will finish the purge started after the holidays, get the photos labeled, and filed in a way that makes sense. They deserve more than to be stuffed in an old box and shoved in the basement.
I love this, Pam, and have mixed feelings about joining you in your very ambitious quest. In addition to a couple thousand digital photos of my own,, last fall I inherited a large plastic tote filled with family photos that belonged to my mother. The mere thought of wading through my mom’s photo collection is daunting! And so I wonder, will my son or family he may have one day want the tote – plus more from me? I’m not going to be great at weeding out precious travel photos to save a few of the best. I know that about myself right now! But to leave none? That doesn’t seem right! Thanks for inspiring me to give this serious thought. Best wishes!
Kate, the scrapbooks I’ll be making will be travel photos and other special experiences, so I can take them with me to “the home” when that time comes. Perhaps digital scrapbooks. So I hear you – I better start scanning some older photos as well. Thanks for the read and comment.
While searching for some pictures I knew I had, I realized they were on an outdated cd, as are pictures, featuring family members, of our trip to Japan. The digital age has benefits and curses. As for the ones we have printed out, label them as best you can. try to store them in archival boxes to preserve them. Before tossing out any old unknown photos, contact area libraries, historical societies, etc. There are lots of online sites to share and help with identification. Local libraries where your families live are getting into the act of posting (Gays Mills, WI and Soldiers Grove, WI are good examples.) “mystery photos.”
Thank you for the suggestions. I don’t have old, old pictures, just from my own life and tons of school pics, mine as well as nieces and nephews. I rea;;y appreciate you always taking the time to read and respond.
Pam, as one in the same generation as you, I share this photo experience. I applaud your desire to print and make more albums. You might consider eliminating the printing stage and sort digital photos into hard books from Shutterfly or Snapfish? I have a friend who does a book a year for her grandchildren! She has more energy and patience than I!
Great suggestion of a digital scropbook. Thanks. Now will I have the patience and energy and perseverance to do it? Appreciate the read and comment.
Pam, this is a great reflection on the whole topic. I am glad you are enjoying your trip down memory lane through photos! Before we moved from MA to AZ, I went through lots of envelopes of prints and their negatives. I digitized negatives and color slides using a small stand alone device that worked well. I scanned B+W and color photos into folders on my computer using my “all in one” printer. Now I am ready for the next step…taking “the best of the best” and making a couple of books (Shutterfly or other company) that can go with us to “the home”. We know how little storage space is in Assisted Living or Nursing Home rooms!
Exactly! I will be making more scrapbooks, probably digital ones now, as much for me when I make my next move than anyone else. Yes, a search for the best of the best is what I’ll be doing. Thanks so much, Carolyn for reading and commenting.
Thank you for the reminiscences. I regularly download from the phone to the laptop. I almost immediately relabel and date and trash many. I have scrapbooks ready to go. And now I don’t worry about printer ink
I download regularly as well, but you are much more efficient than me after that point. Something for me to aspire to! Thanks for reading and commenting.
O so true. Tons of pictures that stopped about 10 years ago. Tons on my phone but who knows the access code????? I’ m going to cull pictures and save the important pnes.
Thanks for the heads up
Miss you LOTS
Ellen
Thanks, Ellen. Glad I could be a good prompt. I miss Michigan as well – except for the cold, snow, and gray.
Hi Pam! Well I finally retired Dec 30th and this too was going to be my first project………and so it begins! I have boxes upon boxes upon boxes and have been making a small dent! However this may take me all of my natural life to complete!! I traverse between crying, laughing and holding my chest as my heart feels like it’s being ripped out for wanting to hold my babies again! I will be “gifting” each of my children and possibly grandchildren their very own pile of memories with a smiley face and “I love you & God speed” written on the container. Addressing the file of photos on the computer may be for another lifetime!!
So great to hear from you and congratulations on retirement. I’m glad to read your plan to gift your children and garnds with photos – what a great idea. I know they will enjoy them … i hope. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I started on my 3 boxes stored in the basement a couple years ago. Then stopped after my mother’s death in Sept 2019. I’ve had lots of time this past year to work on it but haven’t. The job I started is still sitting there unfinished. And these are mostly antique early 1900 family photos. Too valuable for family history to toss the whole lot. Boy do I understand this issue.
Wow, what a task you have. Good luck moving forward. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
Oh, Pam! This really hit home for me. I, too, have boxes of photos in closets AND the basement! Some are ours, others are from both Wayne’s and my parents, plus my Aunt Kathleen. I have a terrible time parting with photos – even the ones with people I do not know or places that are not part of our travels (see above ~ Aunt Kathleen!). And, like you, there are the digital ones. Some are on CD’s, others on chips, and then there are the ones just sitting on my phone or in the cloud (and I’m not sure I even know how to get those now that I’ve put them there). “Go through pix” is always on a To Do List, when I make long term plans. Of course, those are usually the To Do Lists that get “lost” or overrun by more urgent To Do Lists! Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh! I really should treat that project like doing my math homework – just sit down and get it done! Sending you a hug!!!
Hey, thanks for the hug. Don’t look at the entire project, but rather start with organizing one box and knock that out of the way. It’s a daunting task, no question. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Hi Pam! I too have begun this process and it started when I ended up with all the Moffitt family photos after mom and dad passed. It was easiest for me to get rid of the “duplicates”. Photos so similar and I only need one. If I didn’t know anyone in a picture it went into the toss pile. Then I separated them into sibling piles so that they could determine which photos to keep. The only intact album that I have is their wedding album which also has baby photos of all of us. As I write this I can still see us all at home together and sprawled on the living room floor and pulling out the albums and laughing. At each other’s expense you know…
I also had way too many photos of our own family. Same situation started as above. I made it through all the photo albums, removed the photos from the album (checked that they were in chronological order) and began the scanning process. I’ve also used Legacy Box as a source to do the scanning and I was happy with the digital photos they returned. So now I have photos on a USB drive. My husband took inventory of our home movies and we had some of those put on a CD. Now I’m wondering when these storage devices might become obsolete.
Thanks to you, I’m thinking it might be easier to keep and share the memories if I organize them into digital scrapbooks. My mind is churning through ideas like labeling each picture…I can really get into the weeds…
Thanks, Sue. It continues to be a work in progress, doesn’t it?