by Hope
My dad has recently begun “archiving” our family photos. And by our family, I mean our extended family from way back when. I began the process about 10 years ago as a labor of love and got almost 400 images processed.
This process includes:
- Scanning the image
- Naming the image
- Repairing/restoring the image
- Updating a spreadsheet with all the details I know about the picture – who is in it, when it was taken, what they are doing, etc.
It was a long and tedious process, especially since I didn’t know very many people or places in the pictures so had to do a lot of research. The point is that it takes a very long time.
I did it as I had the time and was in no rush. My dad is a bit less technically inclined and wants the process, especially the scanning, repairing, and numbering to be easy…and quick. It’s not. And coaching him from a distance has been time-consuming and frustrating, for both of us, but mostly for him.
He’s got at least 1,000 images to go. And frankly, I don’t want to spend my week with them next month scanning and repairing images. And I want to spare him the frustration and time suck this can be.
Father’s Day – Give Him back His Time
As my sister and I were discussing Father’s Day presents, it came to me, I could give him back his time, without giving him mine. (As I read this, I realize this sounds bad. But with limited time with my parents, I know 1) I wouldn’t be able to complete the task and 2) economically it makes more sense that I work.)
So my plan is to gift my dad with at least getting some of the images scanned and repaired for him. Hopefully, if we can get some back before I get there, I can help him organize and process them.
There are all sorts of services out there that will scan and repair the images for you. Have you ever used one? I would love personal recommendations.
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
That sounds like a great project. I hope you find a good service to help!
Evidently, a friend of my sister does this so she is helping my dad pack up pictures to send out this week. I’m hoping we get at least some back next week so I can create a process for him to name and catalog them as easily as possible.