Preserving the people, memories, stories

Did you know September is “Save Your Photos Month”?

Two life events have made me start thinking about my own photo collections lately.

The first—my youngest is now a senior in high school. Lots of new photos are being taken, and plenty of old ones are being dug up as we look back on his school years (hello, #SeniorSunday!).

The second—my father had a major health crisis a few weeks ago. He is going to be okay, but the experience got me thinking about all the stories I want to chronicle about his life while I still have the opportunity to ask him about them.

Several years ago, I sat down with my parents and started sorting through their photos going back generations (the little guy in the center of the photo above is my grandfather). But I confess, the project eventually got put on the back burner.

I think it's time to start again.

Recently, I also worked with a client to sort through her family's physical photographs so she could scan the ones she wanted to keep and eventually turn them into photo books. It reminded me that organizing our photos isn't really about having perfectly organized boxes or digital files.

It's about preserving the people, stories, and memories that matter to us.

So, in honor of Save Your Photos Month, I have a question for you:

What is your reason for wanting to organize your photos?

Maybe you want to finally make those photo books. Maybe you want to preserve old family photographs before they're lost or damaged. Maybe you want your children to know who the people in those old pictures are.

Or maybe, like me, you've been meaning to tackle this project for years—and it's simply time to begin.

And if the thought of sorting through boxes (or years!) of photos feels overwhelming, this is something I can help with. Sometimes the hardest part of a project like this is simply knowing where to start.

If organizing your family photos has been sitting on your someday list, maybe September is the month to pull out that first box.