Plan & Prepare Your Archive

Organizing Can Be Fun!

Before we can digitize your images with your camera, we must first ensure that all necessary preparations and planning are done. Planning is key to guaranteeing a smooth digitization process. Take some time to organize your images, determine the best resolution for your needs, and gather any necessary equipment before diving into the fun part. You must have computer file names and media labels ready before reaching the capture phase.

Replacing Worn-Out Media Containers

If your media items need a change of scenery, purchase acid-free containers. Move your precious media to new containers, ensuring they age gracefully. You will find a whole arsenal of acid-free containers, such as sleeved film pages, print folders, and boxes. Preservation is serious business, but it is well worth the effort.

Key Steps for Your Family Ancestry Photographic Archive

1. Recruit family members for historical information.

2. Gather photographic items and tools.

3. Assess the scope of your media.

4. Divide physical media into types.

5. Prioritize curated media, albums, and collages.

6. Decide which other media types are 'your' priorities.

7. Test family enthusiasm for your project and priorities.

8. Seek descriptions/keywords from family members.

9. Commence and then share the project for ongoing support.

Media Groups for Digitizing

• Albums

• Curated/organized prints

• Containers with prints (no negatives)

• Containers with prints and negatives

• Framed prints

• Mounted slides

• Loose negatives (sorted by type)

• Artworks

• Newspaper articles

Save Time During Capture by Sorting Media Groups by Size

Organizing your media before capturing it can significantly streamline the process and save valuable time.

·        Prints: Begin by sorting loose prints according to their size, as this reduces the need for repeated adjustments during capture.

·        Photo Albums: Similarly, separate photo albums and framed prints to facilitate a more focused and efficient workflow.

·        Negatives and Slides: Categorizing these by film type and size reduces the frequency of changing film carriers (or masks), which enhances overall productivity.

·        Artworks and newspaper clippings: Keep artworks and newspaper clippings in distinct groups to simplify handling and ensure the capture process remains smooth and orderly. 

By preparing these media groups systematically, you can avoid unnecessary interruptions and achieve better results.

Albums and Collections: Capturing Important Themes

For those tracing the intricate branches of their family tree, photographs nestled within albums and thoughtfully assembled collections are akin to unearthed historical documents. Each image, strategically placed and often accompanied by telling inscriptions, represents a deliberate act of preservation and communication by a family member. These curated groupings were intended to illuminate connections, mark significant events, and pass down visual narratives. Therefore, the act of digitization must extend beyond simply capturing the image; it demands the meticulous preservation of every annotation, every scribbled note, and every contextual detail that breathes life into the faces and moments depicted.  These seemingly small elements are the very keys that unlock accurate keywords and unlock the rich metadata so essential for ancestry research. Moreover, identifying and meticulously documenting any fragility or existing damage within these precious albums is a critical responsibility, ensuring that these tangible links to our heritage are handled with the care they deserve so that their historical essence endures.

Prioritizing the Capture of Negatives

Matching prints to their corresponding negatives can be a meticulous and time-intensive task. Negatives and slides typically offer better image quality than older prints, so optimizing their capture is crucial. If negatives within a particular wallet don't match the prints, re-sleeve the negatives and add the new sleeve to the negatives pile for future capture. In cases where preserving the nostalgic charm of a vintage print is important, it's worth capturing both the print and its corresponding negative.

How to Proceed with Sorting and Capturing Media

Follow the steps below when dealing with mixed negatives and prints in a container. My initial step is to capture the negatives first and process them using 'FilmLab Desktop' to convert them into positives. This application allows me to clearly see which negatives correspond to the prints within the same wallet or container, which is significantly easier than attempting to inspect the negatives using a loupe beforehand.

• Create sorting piles. Begin by organizing 'To-Do' and 'Done' piles for each media type (e.g., negatives, prints).

• For sleeves with only negatives.

  • Capture the negatives.

  • Label the sleeve after capturing.

  • Place the sleeve in the negative 'Done' pile.

• If the prints and negatives match:

  • Capture the negatives only.

  • Label the negative sleeve and place it in the negative 'Done' pile.

  • Label the print envelope and move it to the print 'Done' pile, unless you wish to additionally capture specific prints for nostalgic purposes.

• If the prints and negatives do not match:

  • Separate the negatives and prints.

  • Label their containers individually.

  • Capture the negatives and place them in the negatives 'Done' pile.

  • Move the prints to the prints 'To-Do' pile.

• For Mixed Cases (Some Prints Match, Others Don't)

  • Separate non-matching prints into a new, labelled container, and place it in the prints 'To-Do' pile.

  • Capture the film roll and label it.

  • Move the negatives to the negative 'done' pile.

  • Place matching prints in the prints 'Done' pile, unless you wish to additionally capture specific prints for nostalgic purposes.

 All the above subjects will be expanded upon in the following pages.

Next: Digitizing Archive Requirements