Photography has always held an important place within the family. The process of creating an image became pervasive in the mid 1800s. Families embraced this new innovation and had photographs produced of friends and relatives. The photo album became an integral part of the family’s home and history.
The tradition of creating snapshots of time and place remained popular for generations. As the world changed centuries, so did the process of photography. Recording an image became easier and more accessible with the introduction of digital imaging. The mysterious process of producing an image from camera film was simplified to using the review button on the back of the camera or looking at the screen on a phone. This has been a wonderful advancement in the accessibility of image making, but it has come at a cost.
Technology changes by the moment, and once too much time passes we will not be able to access older photographic images. We change cameras and computers at an ever increasing speed and our photos may not keep pace with that evolution. We have become massive consumers of transient images.
I was lucky growing up, I had a family that treasured the photographs of family from the past and the present. I can look back on images from my childhood and see the faces of family and friends and recall those moments. This is all due to the fact that the generations before me saved their memories in photo albums. In addition, as the primary photographer in the family, I have been able to preserve images that are significant to my family.
If we want to leave a legacy of photographs from our time and place, it will become imperative that we fix those images in a printed format. Printers are inexpensive. Take the time to sort and print the images that are important to you and your family and compile them in an album. Label them by subject and date and keep them for the next generations.
I have learned the value of finding ways to preserve images from the past as well. This is where digital technology becomes so important. If you have old photographs that are fading, take the time to re-photograph them with your digital camera. The editing software available for restoring images is plentiful and often inexpensive or free. Become the guardian of the images that represent your family’s travels through history.
It is a rewarding and awakening process.
Ginny Southworth is a professor at the University of South Carolina Aiken. She created and teaches the classes for the photography program, which is part of the Visual and Performing Arts Department. She received my Bachelor of Science in Photojournalism from Syracuse University and my Master of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of South Carolina. Her early career in photography was as a documentary photographer for newspapers. She has received many awards for photography and has been published in national magazines and newspapers. She has been teaching at USCA for thirteen years and work constantly to find that perfect balance between the fine art photographer and the documentary photographer.
