Photo history will soon be a thing of the past
One of the most frequent requests I have comes from customers clasping their precious black-and-white or sepia photograph of a loved one who has passed on, an ancestor in military uniform or even an event from days gone by. ‘Can you reproduce this for me? It’s the only photo I have of my husband/great-grandfather/wedding’.
Of course, the answer is invariably ‘yes’. Whether it’s a straightforward scan and reproduction, or an image requiring some manipulation due to irreparable damage to the photo, we can often duplicate the oldest and most delicate of pictures for you. The photos are then treated to the most ostentatious of frames and mounted in pride of place: after all, aren’t historical photographs fantastic to look at? Interestlingy, I find that the majority of people with such a query have either got a digital camera or they are perhaps thinking of swapping over to digital in the not-too-distant future.
So, why is this relevant to the beginning of the story you may ask? Quite ironically I find that, while people are reluctant to lose touch with their relatives from years gone by, they very rarely print any of their present photographs!
With the advancement of computer technology (and we’re not immune in the photo industry - just try to buy a film-based camera in any of the major electrical retailers!), it is imperative to commit your favourite shots to print. Keeping them on your hard drive, or even backed up to CD/DVD/memory card may not be enough to protect you from the absolute certainty that your computer will be out of date in less than a year (unless you spend more money bringing it back in line with current technology).
It is likely that, in as little as ten years’ time - maybe less - you will not be able to view the photographs you have stored away to ‘look at later’. There are methods available now to convert, for example, VHS to DVD, but they are not inexpensive. My point is, why risk to chance? Spend a few pence printing each of your most treasured memories from today, and you will be able to look at them once a year for the next 50 or even 100 years if you want to!
But the most important thing is that our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have a paper copy of history - and the chances are that they WILL be able to continue to have them reproduced at a relatively low cost.
Do it now, before it’s TOO LATE!