The Life Changing Magic Of NOT Throwing Out Your Family Photos

It happened again. Three times in one month.  Enough of all this cleaning to create joy. Let’s save family photos by putting names with faces.

I meet new people every month and invariably the conversation turns to work. When I mention that I’m known as the Photo Detective, a puzzled look is the response.  “What do you do?”

I explain.  Your grandmother (or other relative) gives you a box of family photos some with names and others unlabeled. I help you tell the story of your family using those pictures.

“Oh, you make up the stories.”

No. I look at and research your family history, study the clues in the photographs and put the two together. 

“That’s actually…possible?”

Yes, I say. Each one of those pictures tells a little bit of the story of your family.

At this point there is usually discomfort on their faces.  Three times this month I heard the following response: “Oh NO, I THREW them OUT.” Horrified expressions flit across faces as they realize they’ve just lost part of their family history.

Yup! I’ve been working with people and their pictures for decades, but recently there’s been an uptick in the number of people who tell me they’ve tossed those family photos, boxes and albums.

Ask your friends and family what they intend to do with their pictures. Intervene if they mention throwing them out.  Let’s stop all this nonsense.

Don’t get me wrong. There are disposable pictures. Blurry images. Landscapes of endless sight-seeing trips. But keep the people and the houses. They are part of YOUR family.

I usually share this simple message about pictures and stories. See the picture. Study the clues. Insert the family history. Tell the story. But the fact is, the process is much more complicated.  Clients that meet with me know that I bring to the table a lifetime of picture knowledge and decades of family history expertise. Pictures are my passion and history my hobby.  It all comes together in photo mysteries.

Consultation and Coaching

For years I’ve used “consultation” as a one word descriptor for private meetings with clients to discuss their mystery pictures.  In fact, these consultations are a lot more than a conversation. They’re part photo analysis and part forensic family history.

I began my career as a genealogical librarian working in a reference capacity assisting with both image and information research.  I cut my baby teeth at the Rhode Island Historical Society and my molars at the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Knowing what questions to ask and how to utilize forensic techniques means that I’m extremely well-suited for solving these mysteries.

Picture interpretation and analysis consists of more than costume clues and photographer’s evidence. Here’s why:

• Photo consultations almost always include my suggestions about other types of research avenues worth considering. Picture evidence often extends into unexplored family history.
• I’m more like a coach than a consultant. I’ll provide real details and concrete suggestions to push your genealogical research forward.
• If you want to write a family history book, I can lead you through the process.  I’m the author of more than fifteen books on family history and photography as well as countless articles for a wide variety of magazines. As a freelance writer for the Newbury Street Press at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, I’ve contributed to family histories and interviewed many people about their lives and family history journey.

Why sign up for a consultation?

Those fifteen minutes can change your research. Literally.

• Your grandmother told you who was in a picture BUT the picture clues add up differently. Suddenly you realize that picture is of a great-great grandparent you don’t know and it was taken overseas! I’ll discuss the clues and action steps for finding out new information.
• A cousin told you that the family photo they found online is definitely a certain relative. The evidence suggests otherwise. Life dates for that relative don’t add up to the photo evidence. I’ll double-check your research, study the photo and provide guidance on who might be depicted.
• The box of pictures you inherited came from your mother, but what side of the family posed for all these pictures and who are they. We’ll work on them one by one.

The pictures are just the beginning.  Learn more here.    More in-depth coaching is available by request. (If you have more than three pictures, ask about my discount package.)

You Pick When and How We Meet

You pick a time slot that works for your schedule on my website AND every consultation is recorded.

• Phone: We both call my conference line.
• Skype: If you have access to Skype we can meet in a virtual face to face and if you haven’t had time to scan your images and send them to me, you can hold them up to your webcam.  This really works.  When all the flights from my home city to a lecture got cancelled, I was still able to see photos that attendees brought with them.
• FaceTime: Do you have an iPad or iPhone? We can talk face to face using this technology as well. I had a great time chatting with a woman in Australia last year.  The time difference was tough, but it was great to say hello to a person in another part of the world.

Ready to solve your family photo mysteries? Click here to get started.

Genealogydotcoach:  Experts on the Same Page

I’m also part of the team at Genealogydotcoach.  In addition to photo analysis, I’m offering a service called tree analysis.  Before you find yourself studying someone else’s family tree, ask for help.  Those mega-sites make it seem easy to trace your family tree.  While finding information may be simpler than it was a decade ago, it can still feel overwhelming.   I’d love to help! Find out more at GenealogydotCoach.