If you have got lots of photos it may be difficult choosing a photo, so start by identifying particular periods or events which are special to you. For example, is there a particular year or stage in your life that is significant or is there an event which brings back some special memories?
Or maybe you have some more recent photos where the stories and memories behind them are still fresh in your mind.
You might even have a collection of much older photographs – you may need to do some research to find out more about who or what is featured in a picture but an older family member may be able to help you with this.
Pick out the relevant photos
Once you have identified some areas that are of interest to you, go through your photos and pull out all of the relevant ones. Make sure you keep each set of photos separate. In your search you might even come across some great pictures you had either completely forgotten about or you never knew you had.
Choose photos which grab your attention
Once you have decided which set of photos to concentrate on, choose some which particularly grab your attention. Pictures of people are great for sparking memories but don’t overlook photos of buildings, places, nature, landscapes, family events and holidays, special occasions, animals, unusual objects, historic landmarks and so on. They can all reveal hidden stories and forgotten memories.
Choose photos which make you want to find out more
Unlike captions in scrapbooks or albums you are not simply recording names, dates, places – you are looking for something extra so choose photos which make you want to find out more. The photo on the right is not one of mine and so I have no information about it but it does make me wish I knew more. Where and when was the photo taken, who is on the bus, where is it going etc. etc.?
Assignment 1
Below is a list of things you should do to complete lesson 1:
- Decide which collection of photos you want to concentrate on
- If necessary, organise your photos by period, date, event, family or whatever is appropriate
- Pick out a selection of photos which particularly grab your attention
- Choose just one photo from your chosen selection
Before moving on the next lesson complete assignment 1 in your Writing the Stories Behind your Photos Workbook.
When you have completed the assignment, click here to go to Lesson 2 Taking a closer look at a photo.