PhotoWise Calgary

Tag: preserving family history

  • How to Protect Your Photos from Loss, Theft or Damage

    How to Protect Your Photos from Loss, Theft or Damage

    Protecting Printed Photos From Loss, Theft Or Damage

    First and foremost, I’d like to send my warmest wishes for a speedy return to safety and comfort for everyone who has been affected by the recent hurricanes and earthquakes. I can only imagine how terrifying it must have been to have to hunker down and ride out severe storms that took lives and destroyed homes.

    I’m proud that Canada is stepping up to aid in the relief efforts. You can do your part to help by donating to the Canadian Red Cross online. It’s hard to tell, of course, how long it will take for normalcy to be restored, but I do know that the more we help, the easier the transition will be.

    The importance of saving your memories.

    Keeping safe during a natural disaster is always of paramount importance. However, I can’t help but think about how many memories storms like Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma have robbed from people. Naturally, in the midst of the many possessions we keep in our homes are our photos.  Photos, of course, capture moments in our lives that are meant to be cherished forever.  Our memories can only hold on to so much information without photos to help us recall those special times.

    Recent events serve as a reminder to digitize your photos in case of an unforeseen event that could destroy them forever. Once your photos are scanned, they can be both saved and backed up as digital files as well as reprinted. Essentially, scanning your old photos gives them renewed and longer lives – and helps protect them against being lost forever in the event of loss, theft or damage.photo albums to be scanned

    PhotoWise can help you protect your photos.

    Here at the PhotoWise studio we offer top-of-the-line photo scanning services.  Our equipment includes a variety of professional high-resolution and high-speed scanning machines and custom software applications. Each photo is checked for quality and scanned by hand. We want you to enjoy your photos for generations to come!

    Turn your old photos into canvas prints, put them in published photo books or print enlargements as gifts for your family members and friends. You have many options!

    Of course, a natural disaster isn’t particularly necessary in order for your old photos to be destroyed. In many cases, pictures that have been tucked away in shoeboxes or sticky albums for years deteriorate due to acidic environments, dust, mould and even insect infestations.  Don’t allow your precious memories to fade due to the passing of time and/or unforeseen circumstances…

    Please don’t hesitate to contact me today to find out how we can help organize, digitize and restore your family photos to bring new life to them and preserve your precious memories forever!

  • Taking Pictures To Document Your Family History

    Taking Pictures To Document Your Family History

    Taking Pictures To Document Your Family History

    Is there anything more important than family?

    When you capture images of special occasions such as birthdays, weddings, graduations and anniversaries by taking pictures, you are documenting the legacy of your family. These are moments with stories that may be talked about for generations to come, but the images that accompany those stories are sure to keep the memories fresh.

    “Family pictures are the most precious,” believes photographer, Mary McCartney on TheGuardian.com, “I have a set of prints I carry around in my wallet of my kids, my husband and my parents. I look at those rather than writing a diary: they’re very evocative and textural and emotional, and take you back to specific moments. I change them every so often, after they get worn out.”

    family with grandparentsI recently had a conversation with a colleague about his family and how an important part of his family history was captured by photos. His grandmother passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 94. He explained that he although he was happy to have had such a strong relationship with her for so many years, he was still heartbroken because of the loss of such a beloved family member.

    He went on to explain the joy he was able to experience because of the time his grandmother was given to meet and get to know his infant daughter. The “overlap of life”, as he called it, is something he will always cherish. At the time of his grandmother’s passing, his daughter was barely a year old. This short “overlap”, however, will never be forgotten.

    “I have about three or four pictures of my grandmother and my now three year-old daughter together,” he revealed, “I don’t think that I have any photos that are more important to me than these. My grandmother’s memory was fading in her final years. But every time I visited her, she would bring up my daughter, expressing how beautiful she was. My daughter now views those pictures and knows that she is looking at ‘Great-Gran’ in those pics. I look forward to many years of telling her stories about the relative she barely knew, but loved her so much.”

    I couldn’t help but ask how and where those Grandmother/Daughter photos are displayed. My colleague informed me that they are framed and on display at his parents’ home – in the very bedroom that his grandmother used to call hers. He went on to express how he would like to have copies of those photos for himself (half-jokingly accusing his parents of swiping his favourite pictures).Toddler holding great grandmas hand

    It’s hard to recall a time when I’ve been happier to help a friend. The photo and document scanning services offered by PhotoWise ensured that these cherished photos were scanned at high resolutions and preserved in ways that he and his daughter will enjoy for the rest of his life. My personal recommendation was to create a photobook that included pictures of both his grandmother and daughter and, of course, photos of the two “overlapping” relatives together.

    Today, this custom family photobook is my colleague’s favourite personal possession!

    I invite you to contact me today to find out how we can help sort, organize and digitize your family photos to document your family history!