Labeling Digital Photos

Posted on July 24, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

I started working on adding metadata to my photos today! I used Adobe Bridge which comes with any of the Creative Suite products. It was pretty slick. You have the ability to set up templates to fill in info that is the same over lots and lots of images. I put information in the template like contact info and copyright stuff. Next step was the keywords. Bridge has a hierarchical method of organizing keywords with keywords and sub-keywords. It already had keywords like people, places and events. I added dogs and things as additional keywords so far. Under dogs I put the names of all the puppies we have raised. Then I had some photos of other puppies in training, like Redding that we puppy sat a few weeks ago. I put him as a sub-keyword under Dune. I’m not sure if that is the right way to handle it but that what I’m doing for now. In Bridge you can select a whole bunch of photos that need the same keywords and add them all at the same time.

I found a really detailed article about labeling digital photos by Ken Watson. It talks all about the technical stuff and different software that helps with the metadata and metadata standards. It has very good reference information.

One thing I was disappointed about was that Windows xp doesn’t show all the metadata information that I added to my photos when you right-click on the image and pull up properties. You can add metadata in the fields that Windows provides under properties but it would be a very slow task and it doesn’t follow XMP standards (read Ken Watson’s article if you don’t know what that is). I’m pretty sure that newer operating systems do a better job on that score.

One disappointment is that Windows xp can’t see the all the metadata I added, like the keywords. But I’m happy to have gotten started on adding metadata to my photos. Tons more to do. A goal I’m making now is to add metadata as I save new photos to my machine. At least then I won’t be loosing more ground.

Why Do I Need Data About My Data? – Metadata

Posted on July 23, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

Here is James Tanner’s answer (from “What is Metadata?”) on FamilySearch to the why metadata question:

OK, so why add metadata? This is also an easy answer. You add metadata so you can find photos on your computer and remember the information about who, what, when and where. Once the metadata is added to your photos, you can use your computer’s search function to find the photos by searching on any of the words or names you have added to the photos and stored with them in their file. How will you know if your program is storing the information with the original file or in a separate file? You might need to search in your program’s preferences or options to find a reference to adding data to your photographs.

Adding metadata to your photograph not only helps you but it helps anyone you might share that photo with, if they know to look for it. The metadata stays with the photo so anyone who has the photo can get access to the information and know everything you know about that photo. Adding metadata takes time but when it comes to family photos and documents, it is the who, what, when, where etc. that makes the photo have value.

Metadata can also be added to other types of files other than photographs. Denis Barrett Olson wrote an article about using metadata to establish provenance. There are lots of ways to use metadata to organize files and make sure that important information about a file stays with that file.

Now we know why we want to use metadata, the challenging part is actually taking the time to add it to our files.

“My Grandma Mary” update – hidden pictures

Posted on July 22, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

So I’ve official finished editing “My Grandma Mary” and now we are just waiting for the box of books I’ve ordered to print! I’m so excited and nervous as the same time. That takes me to the next step in the Doable approaching to telling your family stories, link. This book brings a whole new area to learn in sharing it with a broader audience.

One of the fun things about this book is that we have put hidden images throughout the book that represent other stories from the Martin Handcart Company that we didn’t put into the main storyline. The book refers to this blog for help in finding these images. I decided to do 4 levels of hints. The first level of hints in under the “My Grandma Mary” tab above and the rest I wrote as post that you can see below. I have links to these posts of the “My Grandma Mary” tab. Hopefully that this will work well in helping those who get stuck finding all the images. Some of them are really pretty easy but some are much harder.

10 Tips for Organizing Family Photos and Memories

Posted on July 17, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

I found today’s organizing ideas on babble with lots of good ideas by Ashley Hackshaw of Lil Blue Boo. Here are her tips and links to tutorials:

Artwork and More: Make an easy portfolio to hold precious artwork. It can be stored behind a chest of drawers or under bed. Click here for the tutorial.
Printing Digital Photos: Do you have anxiety about printing all those digital photos? I have a process I use to catch up. Read more here on printing YEARS worth of photos.
Organizing Photos: Not sure what to do about stacks and stacks of photos? Try organizing them with an easy checklist method so you never get lost or disorganized. Click here for the free download.
Photo Books: In addition to photo albums, I also make a yearly digital book with photos, artwork, quotes etc for my daughter. I’ve compiled all my page ideas into one master post. Click here to see all the samples!
Yearly Albums: I love making yearly photos albums with everything but the kitchen sink. I love making them timeless and easy. Click here for my tips, process and supply list.
Memory Notes: An easy way to keep track of events and milestones for your child (or you!) is to keep a notebook in your car. Read more about the “school gossip” book here.
Home Movies: Do you have a bunch of VHS and old movie reels? I’ve recently converted mine to DVD. Click here for my top tips!
DVD Cover Templates: How to make easy DVD covers and labels to organize your home movies. Click here for the full tutorial and template download.
File Back Up: Make sure to back up all your digital files and photos into several places. I have a very easy method for backing up my files and it’s all about using “screenshot!” Visit the entire tutorial here.
The Lil Journal Project: I started the Lil Journal Project last year to help people start recording their memories and legacy in a fun way. Here’s a sample day: Paste a class photo into a page and write everything you can remember about your classmates and events. Click here to view the entire project or click here to just view Day 9.

Organizing Family Papers

Posted on July 11, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

Here is a simple list of the important parts of organizing family papers (and other things too). This comes from Minnesota History Society. You can find the original info here.

Step One: Gather them together

Bring together those items that you want to keep permanently. Keep them together in a box or a file, and clearly label them as family papers and mementos.

Step Two: Identify them

Remember that this information is what will make the materials meaningful to younger family members and future generations.
Fully identify writers and recipients of letters. Either write this information (inpencil) on each letter, or write a separate note to accompany a group of letters.
Write onto the back of each photograph (in soft lead pencil) as much information as is known about it – who; where; date; event or other circumstance.
Medals and other memorabilia: write a note identifying the recipient, occasion, and date, and keep it with the object.
Write down other relevant information about the persons or events, particularly birth and death dates, parents’ and other family names, civilian or military service units or employment, dates and places of service, memorable experiences.

Step Three: Organize them

The goal is to keep them from becoming scattered or mis-identified in the future, and to help others follow what was happening at the time.
There are many options, depending on the number and types of documents. They may include: keep all of each person’s letters and other papers together; keep a single chronological run of all materials; keep one group of only letters, and another group of other materials; keep separate groups of each type of material.
If photos or other items were received with a letter, keep them with that letter.

Step Four: Put them in protective enclosures

The goals: protect them from wear and tear, from light and dust, from becoming scattered or lost, and from losing their identity.
Use good-quality boxes, file folders, and other supplies. Archival-quality (acid-free) is ideal but not essential.
Unfold folded items; remove letters from envelopes; place them in file folders.
Remove pins, brads, and metal paper clips.
Label each folder or other enclosure with an identification of its contents.
Use separate folders or boxes for diaries and other volumes, or medals and other artifacts; do not put them in a folder together with letters or photographs.
For some items – such as medals and other artifacts, groups of related photographs or post cards, books in poor condition – consider the use of specialty enclosures that are available from archival suppliers.

Step Five: Store them safely

The entire group of materials should have its own “home,” whether in a box or a file drawer.
Avoid extremes of temperature and humidity; keep them clean; protect them from mold and insects.

Organize Family History Photos & Documents into Binders

Posted on July 10, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

Treasures in Chaos

Today I came across a good article on Squidoo about organizing documents and photos, so I’ll share the highlights with you. You can find the original article here.

The basic idea is to use three ring binders and sheet protectors. Then instead of sifting through boxes, everything is protected and easy to see.

Sort papers and documents into family groups.
Decide what to keep. (If in doubt, keep it)
Sort loosely into chronological order.
Place into protective sleeves.
Put sleeves into binders (fixing order if necessary).
Label binder and put it on a shelf.

Some hints from the article:

Buy sheet protectors in boxes of 100
Make sure they are acid free, archival, top-loading
Buy high quality binders that will last

My mom has done something like this when she was doing family histories. I think it is important to keep it simple and get it organized. Don’t be tempted do make it fancy. If you want to go back later you can.

What have you tried in organizing you papers, documents and photos?

“My Grandma Mary” update

Posted on July 8, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

I seem to have jumped through all the hoops to get a proof copy of “My Grandma Mary” printed by Lightning Source! I got an email today confirming the order from last week. The holiday has slowed things down but if I understand how it works, I should have the proof copy in my hand this week! I’m really excited to see it. If everything looks good than I will make it available for sell asap. My mom is usually really patient about histories but on this one she asks me about it every time I talk to her. It has taken a long time to get to this point. I’ve learned so much. But I’m sure there is a lot more to learn.

One thing I’ve realized is I’m glad there are places like Blurb and places like Lightning Source. Even though they are both print on demand companies their business models and target customers are completely different. I can see that I’ll be using both companies in the future depending on the project. For small runs, Blurb is a better choice. For books with a larger audience Lightning Source can be the better choice. While Blurb has a higher price per book they have no set up costs and no on going cost to keep the book available to print. While LSI has a much cheaper price per book they set up cost of about $100 mean you have to order at least a certain number of books to make it more cost-effective than Blurb. In the case of “My Grandma Mary” you have to order at least 5 copies to make LSI a more cost-effective option.

I’m still waiting to see how the quality of Lightning Source compares to Blurb.

“My Grandma Mary” update (tellingfamilytales.com)

Family Reunions in the Digital Age

Posted on July 2, 2013 by tellingfamilytales

I found this information in the FamilySearch User Newsletter for June 2013, but it is also on their blog in this post by Matt Wright. He has some great ideas for family reunions using modern technology to its best advantage.

When my ancestors took this family reunion photo in 1932, they didn’t have our generation in mind as much as they did what was for lunch, where little Melvin had disappeared to, and what time they might need to leave to get home. But, I’m so glad they took the time—this snapshot has turned into a valuable piece of my family story.

When you get together for your yearly family reunion this summer, what will you do to make sure future generations have access to important family memories? FamilySearch Photos and Stories provides tools to help you capture, preserve, and share your family memories for today and generations to come.

Read on for some general reunion photo ideas as well as tips for using Photos and Stories to add some flair to your reunion. If you haven’t had a chance to use Photos and Stories, you should try it out. We recently added an automated search that will find photos of your ancestors [VIDEO]. Simply click the blue button on the Photos page to log in and see what photos others have added.

General Ideas

There are certain photo-related activities that could or should happen at any family gathering. Here are some ideas.

Take a group photo—Kind of a no-brainer, but so important to capture the people at the event for future generations.

Photo slideshow—Set up a laptop or television with a looping slideshow of favorite family photos, from as many people as you can get to contribute. Make sure the photos are uploaded to FamilySearch.org so that family members can see the photos when they get home.

Photo name tags—get head shots from each attendee (or from the ancestor they descend from for larger events) and place the photos on name tags with their name to make sure everyone remembers names!

Photos and Stories

Many family reunions or get-togethers are held in buildings or other locations with Wi-Fi. Some family members can bring an Internet Hot Spot. Whatever the case may be, if you have it available, take advantage of the access to make some serious progress in documenting your family story on FamilySearch.

Photo and story presentation—Show the photos that have been uploaded, tagged, and linked to the Family Tree on FamilySearch.org. For larger groups you could arrange for a projector. For smaller groups a laptop screen would work just fine. Any photos linked to ancestors within 4 generations will show up. Visit the FamilySearch Photos page and click on the blue button to give it a try.

Identify photos—Work with individuals or groups to identify the people in photos that have already been uploaded. My family reunion picture above is a great example—I don’t know everyone in the photo, but working together we can likely fill in many of the blanks.

Give time to explore—Have a few laptops available for family members to explore the Family Tree fan chart, photos, and stories at their own pace. They can add stories to photos and may even help tag previously unknown people in photos they see.

Take time to record—A hand held digital audio recorder or video recorder can capture individuals telling stories and sharing memories that can be preserved and cherished by those to come.

Gather and Digitize

Even if you don’t have access to the Internet you can still grow your family’s Photos and Story collection and experience the magic of ancestral photos.

Assign a Photo Chairperson—As part of your reunion planning, assign someone to manage the gathering and display of family photos. This person can organize an effort to have family members bring photographs to the reunion to be digitized or copied so you can upload them to FamilySearch.

Set up a scanning station—This is easily done with a laptop and portable scanner. Once scanned, you have a copy to upload to FamilySearch. This can get people motivated and trained to add more photos when they return home. Get the word out as far ahead of the event as possible and provide reminders so that people remember to bring their photos.

Show a family presentation—This can happen quite naturally during an already scheduled family meeting. Even without Internet, you can present a slide show with screen captures of what family information is already available on FamilySearch.

Set up a photo identification table—Print out photos of unidentified people on inexpensive paper print and have a table full of family photos for older relatives to annotate who is in each photo. Transfer the information to FamilySearch to be preserved.

Reunion web page—Create a family reunion page in FamilySearch Photos and Stories and share it through email or social media.

However you approach photo sharing at your reunion you’ll be glad you did. The photos and stories of our ancestors can help create a connection that bridges generations.