Photogaphy for future generations- what do you do?

[Nathaniel]

I believe I posed this question earlier in a different format and thought I'd re-phrase it so that I can perhaps understand what my fellow members do.

One of my main considertion in taking photographs is to ensure that my children,grandchildren,great grand children (not had any to date) see these photos and then enjoy them and also take up a good hobby like mine (selfish oaf eh?). Having made a big mistake with my slide collection of over 5000 taken in West Africa and the period covering the 1960' - the 1970's, I now print photos of my best shots and then transfer the rest to a CD. The best shots are put in my coffee table album with cross referenced to the relvant CD if people wish to see a wider selection. I do not leave anything on my computer or anywhere else where I know that they will never be looked at once I get to the horizontal,toes up position.

From various discussions in this forum and seeing some of the superb photos exhibted by the more expert photographers I wonder how they ensure their lovely photos are seen by the next generation? I believe that we must leave some sort of legacy (not the Tony Blair sort) to the next generation and others to follow!! I was an educationist as well, at one time.

[Canon-Fodder!]

Re: Photogaphy for future generations- what do you do?

Hello Nathaniel; yes, you have asked this question before...

... but, for the sake of the discussion, I'll repeat my response...

I print all my 'best' (& others of interest) into BOOKS! Check-out Blurb.com...

They produce 'coffee-table' books in varying sizes and formats. Excellent 'value-for-money' and pretty-good quality that's getting better... Like all (relatively) new innovations, they're still going through a steep learning curve. There are other 'print-on-demand' vendors out there, but I still haven't found one as good overall as Blurb.

I've found that friends & family are FAR more interested in looking at my stuff now; whereas beforehand they would have balked and fled at the prospect of a 'slide-show' or flip through an album...

Printing to book enables such a tremendous variety of presentations and annotations that you can make the whole thing something of real interest that both YOU and your heirs will enjoy reviewing in years to come...

Like you, my sense is that my digital images confined to a PC will simply die when I do!

[Woolley]

Re: Photogaphy for future generations- what do you do?

I strongly suspect that when I turn my toes up, my wife will scrutinise my pictures to see exactly what I spent all that money on, and then probably hand the drive over to some local history group.

Wouldn't it be good if there were a national site to which old hard drives could be donated so that the pictures are available in perpetuity. It's ironic that in the best documented age for social history, the chances are very little will survive.

[Nathaniel]

Re: Photogaphy for future generations- what do you do?

CF- Printing to a book is a very good idea. Must look at it in more detail.Woolley- I don't think my partner will bother to go through my PC and so on, unless I do what I am doing now- coffee table exhibition!

On the same theme, how many parents present their children with a camera instead of mobile phone? (or both for that matter).Small digital cameras can be bought for under £100.NOT camera phones, which is a waste of time.My interest in photography started when my parents presented me with a Brownie box camera, and my uncle bought me the films- on and off.Each film roll took just 12 shots those days!!!!! I presented my two children with a camera each when they were small. The cameras were the Russian ones,cheap with a very good lens. I forget it's name. I thhink it was Zenit or something like that.