Why Old Family Photos Stay Hidden for Decades and What You Can Do About It
Your phone holds thousands of pictures, but some of your most interesting family photographs may still be in a box. Here’s why they’re worth finding.
There’s your dad standing beside the family car in 1978. Behind him is the house you grew up in, complete with that awful garage door and the tree you used to climb. You haven’t seen this photograph in 40 years. You’d almost forgotten what the house looked like.
I’ve worked in photo imaging since 1990, when people brought rolls of film into our stores and waited to see how their pictures turned out. Those prints were passed around, mailed to relatives, and saved in albums. Today, we can take 100 pictures at a birthday party without thinking twice, yet finding one from 1985 can turn into an afternoon project. At ScanMyPhotos.com, we digitize collections containing hundreds or thousands of old photographs. What interests me most isn’t always the weddings or graduations. It’s the ordinary pictures. Your dad washing the car. That awful wallpaper in the kitchen. A family restaurant everyone remembers but nobody thought to photograph on purpose.
And here’s something worth thinking about. Who’s going to recognize the people in those pictures 20 years from now? Who’ll remember where they were taken?
With the holidays approaching, try finding ten forgotten family photographs and putting them on the table. Ask everyone what they remember. Record a few of those stories while the people who know them are sitting right there.
We spend so much time backing up photographs taken yesterday. Meanwhile, some of the best pictures we’ve ever taken are still sitting in boxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the safest way to store old printed photographs? Keep photographs in photo safe sleeves or boxes, in a cool, dry, and stable environment. Avoid attics, damp basements, and direct sunlight.
The Library of Congress
Should I throw away my original photos after scanning them? Keep the originals whenever practical. A digital scan makes photographs easier to access and share, but the original print remains a separate physical record.
How can I identify people in old photographs? Ask relatives who may recognize the people, locations, or occasions. Record names, approximate dates, and stories in a separate note or digital file linked to the photograph.
What’s the easiest way to start organizing thousands of family photos? Start with one small group of pictures. Sort them by family, event, or approximate decade, then digitize and label them in manageable batches.
