Using Photos in Your Famiy History

When putting together your family history don't forget to include photos. We've all heard the saying "A pictures worth a thousand words." Photos of our ancestors are priceless. Now you might be thinking that you don't have any ancestral photos. Even if you don't chances are someone in your family does.

With todays technology there is really no reason that everyone in a family can't have a copies of all the ancestral photos. There are several options.

The photos can be scanned onto disks and given to each family member. This is my favorite choice. There are several advantages to the scan method. The photos will always be available. New disks can be burned at any time for new found relatives or if one is lost or destroyed. Copies can be printed off by each family member when they have the time and means to do it. You can make pictures any size and turn color photos to black & white. The list goes on. I also believe this is the most economical choice. It does take time to scan and label the pictures, but you will be so happy you did!

Pictures can also be taken to any store with a photo kiosk and prints can be made for everyone. This is by far the most costly idea. You would also have to take the time to go through each photo and label it. This idea is great if you only have a few photos to share and a few people to share them with.

Now you could also take all the pictures to a colored copy place and make colored copies with several on a sheet and label the paper as you go. This can be relatively fast and inexpensive, however the quality and longevity of the copies will not be very good.

I hope I have convinced you all to scan your photos and make them available to all your relatives. Family reunions and get togethers are the perfect opportunity to share these precious photos. I have been able to do it and it is very rewarding.