This thread is of particular interest to me right now. and the point that
G-CTPN makes about the backs is very valid, and sometimes I scan the back and contrive to have the file names so that they stay together. I'll find one in particular when I get a moment. Mother's side hails from Ooop North, it would be a surprise if someone knew the photographers...or even the people!
I spread the DVDs round the kids in two different countries. It's been a huge amount of work, and I don't want to lose it.
I feel the only safe way is to pressure the kids to keep it updated, or refreshed, but their lives are so full right now that they only have passing interest in dead people. Funnily though, the Americans will buy old family photos, frame and hang them, even though they have no idea who they are.
Not
all Americans.
One of the greatest burdens when I sold my long term family home in Essex, was the photos. I said 'they will take a couple of hours to sort'. Two days later, and with a dustbin full of rejects, I still had a box too big to lift. I wasn't even a keen photographer!
I spend hours scanning and trying to organize them. The other night, I waited 13 mins for <2 gigs to go onto a stick just to update it.
Does anyone know if it was that long because I left them in Thumbnails? (Certainly I got problems when trying to copy them to a DVD while in Thumbnail view mode.Got a question about at Thumb file for every pic! )
To me, these are very precious. I have a glass plate 8 x 10 of my g-grandmother, grandmother and g-aunt. The detail is stunning, being able to see the threads of the blouses etc.. I gather it may have been coated at the time and the picture taken while wet. It was then hand touched up, which is a bit of history I suppose.
Other pics from a leather bound album are beyond belief when viewed on a computer screen. I've had these around all my life, but never really been able to get the atmosphere of the moment while on small prints.
Maybe though, it's just an age thing...looking into the eyes of my ancestors.