PROTECT YOUR MEMORIES
A year or so ago when my daughter turned 18, I made a photobook of her life. I scanned prints from when she was born and uploaded them with more recent photographs to create an online album, which I also turned into a hardcover book.
She loved it because I unearthed pictures she’d never seen before and I loved it because it forced me to create digital versions of some of my most treasured memories. I can’t tell you how delighted I am to have gone through that process.
Because while insurance can compensate you monetarily or replace goods in the home, it can’t bring back those printed images. Indeed, asked what they would grab in a fire or flood, plenty of people answer simply: “Photos.”
Yet it’s relatively simple to safeguard your family memories, whether they’re pictures of your kids or ancient pre-war albums of your grandparents.
While the pictures we take on our phones are easy to store in the cloud, it takes more effort to scan and store images from our pre-digital lives.
I suggest taking a weekend and devoting yourself to the task.
First, sort your old prints and negatives and choose which ones you want to keep. Then it’s simply a case of taking them to somewhere like Officeworks or Harvey Norman and getting them scanned either onto your phone or a USB.
Once you have a digital version, create files for each person in the family or sort the pictures into years and simply store them in the cloud. As well as being safe, they’re also easily accessible for when you want to create an online photobook for an anniversary or special occasion. Equally, I know friends who’ve lost a loved one suddenly have been so grateful to have easy access to photographs when they needed to unexpectedly organise a funeral.
The other benefit of having your photos stored digitally is that you can actually see them more. Use them as your screensaver or upload them to a digital photo frame so you can share them with family and friends.
Finally, while you’re at it, scan all your important documents as well. Having a copy of your passport, driver’s licence, birth certificate, visas and immunisation records can save you a massive headache if they get lost.