You all may think that Captured Moments specializes in Professional Digital Photo Management, which it does. But I want to share a story with you how other items can be just as valuable as a cherished family photo.
Recently a good friend of mine reached out to me after her mother passed away. She was wondering what she would do with her mother’s lifetime collection of photos, letters, papers, and other memorabilia.
Since I started Captured Moments, I have been asked that question many times and I know that this can be a daunting task – because in a sense you are curating someone’s life. I always recommend reading and reviewing these items carefully before discarding. When I suggested this over the phone call, I thought heard a deep exhale as I am sure the scale of this effort began to sink in. I then shared the standards steps that make such an undertaking manageable and affective.
But this newsletter is not about how to tackle such an aruous task, but about the rewards for doing it and doing it correctly.
After my advice, a few weeks later my friend sent me an email with an attachment from her mother’s collection entitled “How to Photograph a New Puppy”. (See below.) She thought this was hilarious because for her it said a lot about the kind of person her mother was – an animal lover with a great sense of humor. Her mother would often collect animal stories and share them with friends and family.
The main point here is that by itself the puppy article is certainly a cute and funny write-up, but for my friend it was also a personal connection back to her mother. My friend is continuing her mission to curate her mother’s collect and has had many such discoveries and relived many fond memories and emotions. And she has been sharing these gems with friends and family along the way.
Yes, a picture paints a thousand words. But the letters, papers, and other memorabilia can have tremendous value too. Together they can tell a more complete story.
(p.s. For my friend this once formidable task has now become a lot of fun.)