Identifying photos for future generations

[Mark1973]

Why not just write on a small sticky label and then put it on the back of the photograph.

I considered that but have sometimes found these labels come "unstuck" and attach themselves to the next article (in this case it would be the front of another photo!  )

Scrap that idea then

[Kim1980]

I have quite a lot of family photos and I scanned them all in and have named the files for who is in them and saved them in Surname folders (and backed them up loads!). For group photographs, I have saved a copy of the picture and written the names of the people directly onto the image. Obviously as computers change and software progresses, my files may not open, but I hope to be around for a good few years yet, so will update and convert them when necessary.

It took a long time to do and involved speaking to members of my family who remembered the people but it was lots of fun (I've even recorded the sound from when I sat with my aunt and went through the photos for prosperity - you even get a mention Mark! It also has my mum shouting at me to clear them off the dining table so she could serve dinner!).

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy it! You don't say how old your children are, but I know when I was a child I loved looking through them with my family.


Kim 

[fifer1947]

My children are all in their 40's now so time presses on! 

[ajm33]

After reading this i have started scanning all mine to pc, 200 down 500+ to go, worth it in the end though

[HeatherLynne]

I've been doing this recently too!  I scanned my parents' wedding group photo and put white blocks beneath or above each face as space allowed.  I tried typing numbers in but found getting a suitable font problematic so ended up printing out the scan with white blocks and writing numbers in each box.  I made an excel grid with lines to write on, numbered it down the left hand side and had the following headings:

Name     B/G (whether on the Bride or Groom's 'side')    Relationship to Bride or Groom

This has worked quite well as I'm able to not only record the names but also a brief description such as 'Brother in Law, married to no.4' or 'Workmate from Philips TVs'

Seems to have worked quite well 
Heather

[GR2]

An archivist spoke to a meeting of the Edinburgh branch of the Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society in March this year. She recommended writing on documents with a 2B pencil. She also recommended , when saving photographs digitally, to format them as TIF rather than JPEG files to retain the quality regardless of how often a file is opened. JPEGs deteriorate slightly every time a photo is opened.

Graham.

[fifer1947]

An archivist spoke to a meeting of the Edinburgh branch of the Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society in March this year. She recommended writing on documents with a 2B pencil. She also recommended , when saving photographs digitally, to format them as TIF rather than JPEG files to retain the quality regardless of how often a file is opened. JPEGs deteriorate slightly every time a photo is opened.

Graham.

Thanks for that Graham, tif files it will be!

I've more or less decided to keep and print scanned copies to which I will append the names and details.  The scanned images also saved to CD.  That I think will be the best of both worlds......... and of course the originals can go "back in the box" 

[Kim1980]

This has worked quite well as I'm able to not only record the names but also a brief description such as 'Brother in Law, married to no.4' or 'Workmate from Philips TVs'
Heather

Just being nosey Heather, but did you really have relatives who worked at Phillips? Was it in Croydon? I only ask because most of my maternal immediate family worked there!

Kim

[HeatherLynne]

Hi Kim,  yes indeed my parents met at Philips Mitcham works in the early 1950s!  Does that count as Croydon?  Seems to be about 4 miles away according to Google maps.

Heather