Blog

24
Jul

Even Though They are Gone, Their Photos Remain with Me

Posted by | · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on Even Though They are Gone, Their Photos Remain with Me

I had a teary night looking back over family albums. Sadly, so many of my family members are no longer here with me. There are so many stories I wish I’d asked them to recall, to tell me before they were gone. . What was it like escaping the war? What was the secret recipe […]

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20
Jul

A Professional Genealogist’s Tips for Uncovering Family History in Old Photos

Posted by | · · · · · · · | Family Photo Resources | 2 Comments on A Professional Genealogist’s Tips for Uncovering Family History in Old Photos

In my 25 years of doing family trees, I’ve found no greater joy than coming across a story or a photo of an ancestor, either my own or in someone else’s tree. Photographs make our loved ones seem more real, while stories written by or about them share a small piece of their life journey […]

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19
Jul

A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it

Posted by | · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it

“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.” – Edward Steichen . These are some of my favorite family photos from my childhood. They have inspired my journey as a professional photographer. My grandfather captured many moments in our family’s life in Italy. I’m so thankful for these images. […]

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18
Jul

A Polaroid Sparks Fun Memories of Growing up in the Bronx

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I just found this Polaroid of my family’s house in the Bronx with my grandmother and my uncle Gypsy on the porch. So many memories here, some of my best. . I was just telling someone about the time we had a cookout in the fenced-in area with a TV facing out of the bottom […]

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12
Jul

Photo Organizing 101: How to Use Photomechanic to create a smart file management system

Posted by | · · · · · · · · · | Family Photo Resources | 4 Comments on Photo Organizing 101: How to Use Photomechanic to create a smart file management system

Picture this: your mom asks you to text her a photo of yourself from your childhood. You vaguely recall scanning a print, maybe even a few favorites. But when it comes to finding the actual files, you’re stumped. And the more you search, the more you feel like pulling out your hair! Digitizing analog photos or backing […]

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06
Jul

Family Photos Remind us that life is beautiful in simple terms

Posted by | · · · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on Family Photos Remind us that life is beautiful in simple terms

My wife and son back when he was a real little kid – funny how certain family photos carry a kind of talismanic charge in the context of a family life. . Roland Barthes spoke of the punctum a photograph can carry/evoke. This photo filled with the emotions of those young days in the life […]

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05
Jul

What Questions are you asking your grandparents now that will help you remember them later?

Posted by | · · · · · · | Featured Family Stories | No Comments on What Questions are you asking your grandparents now that will help you remember them later?

What do you remember about your grandparents? What are you asking them now (and writing down!) to remember them when they’re gone? . I remember how funny they could be. My grandfather had a joke for everyone he met. He called the grandkids “little monsters,” in the most endearing way. He loved popcorn, peanuts and […]

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03
Jul

This Vintage Snapshot of my matriarchs is elegant and exotic

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My mother would have turned 75 this week. Here she is on the beach in Panama with my grandmother, who we called Omi, when the family was stationed there. . I thought it was so exotic that her school on the Navy base had a pool, where she learned how to swim. I remember watching […]

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26
Jun

Who Else Wants Some Good News about those Boxes of Deteriorating Family Photos?

Posted by | · · · · · · · · · | Family Photo Resources | No Comments on Who Else Wants Some Good News about those Boxes of Deteriorating Family Photos?

It’s a unique mix of magic and anxiety. It’s a moment of truth. It’s a feeling unlike any other. It’s an experience called NOSTALGIA. When we discover old family photos, we are given a passport to a place called memory. This experience is powerful – everyone can relate to it. Have you ever opened a closet in your parents’ […]

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19
Jun

The inspiring story of how a little boy’s question sparked a photo scanning app with millions of downloads

Posted by | · · · · · | Family Photo Resources | 5 Comments on The inspiring story of how a little boy’s question sparked a photo scanning app with millions of downloads

Dad, where are your old photos?  On a warm summer afternoon, a 6 year-old boy in Tel Aviv, Israel asked his father, “Dad, I’d like to see what you looked like as a kid. Can you show me some pictures?” At once Yair was filled with nostalgia, but also dread. Although he knew old photos of him […]

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