Willing to bet your grandkids will be upset with you

I found this article awhile back and have not been able to stop thinking about it….why??? Because this is totally our generation. Most of us are putting all our images on disc or worse yet leaving them on the computer. My heart sinks and I am refusing to not be "this grandma".


I'm willing to bet your grandchildren will be upset with you. Here's why.

Imagine, 50 years from now, as your grandchildren or great grandchildren are going through the boxes in the attic. They are enthralled with the treasures and keepsakes they find and how they tie into the story of your life.

Amongst all the old items, they find a number of round silver objects. Some have writing on them, some are blank, but they resemble some kind of a small platter about 4.5 inches across, with a hole in the middle.
Puzzled, they take them to their parents. "What are these, Mom?" they ask.
"Oh, I think those are all of grandma's photographs. Yep, here's one labeled `My Wedding'. Here's some more labeled `Family Photos,' and some more labeled `Vacations'."
"How do we look at them?" they ask.
"Well, I'm not sure we can. First of all, no one has the device that reads these anymore.
Besides that, I doubt after all these years that they're any good anymore. Being stored in the attic, the heat and cold probably ruined them."

The kids are very disappointed. Nowhere amongst all the treasures are any actual prints.
All that history is lost. Their connection with the past and all the wonderful stories that might have gone along with all those photographs are gone as well.

Along with all the wonders of our digital age come some significant problems that most people have never thought of.

Did you know that over 90% of all images taken on today's digital cameras are NEVER PRINTED? I'm guilty of that myself. I have gigabytes of personal photographs that have never been seen other than on a computer screen. In the old days, film went to the lab and everything that was printable was printed. Even if it was a bad photograph, it still was a hard copy, a part of your family history and it had permanence. Even if they never went in an album, they at least went into a box, to be discovered as treasures years later.

The same problem exists in professional portrait studios today. Many people are simply asking for the images on CD. "I'll print them later" or "I'll design my own wedding album" are common phrases. Usually this is done with the thought that they'll save some money by doing it themselves.
But you know what? Most never make it into any kind of an album. Life gets busy and 20 years later they'll be looking for some way to read those disks.
I bring this up only to point out the importance of what we, as a professional studio do.

Our job is not just to create the images, to create wonderful story telling photographs about the people in front of our camera; it's to create a final product, whether it be a professionally retouched and printed single image, a family heirloom wall portrait, or an incredible storybook album using a collection of the images that were created.

It doesn't matter whether it's a wedding, a newborn baby, a senior or a family. Having the final product created for you is important. To do less is to leave the job half done and to short change the customer.

So, if you're asked for a disk with all the images "so I can print them later", that's fine, just make sure your customers understand that if not printed, the conversation their grandchildren will want to have about their family history may never be able to happen.
Fred Molesworth

In addition to running a full time portrait studio in Salem Oregon, Fred Molesworth is a small business teacher and advisor, and the author of the Portrait Studio Marketing blog (www.portraitstudiomarketing.com). He's also a nationally known business and marketing speaker in the portrait industry, and past president of the Professional Photographers of Oregon.

Thank you Fred....just a reminder to start today, get your free account at www.RecallWhen.com and start uploading your photos into albums on the site.
That's the first step.

Now go to the template gallery and let your imagination run loose. There are literally 1000's of projects that you can start. Some take as little as 15 minutes to create once you have your photos uploaded into your account.

Don't become the stranger in the attic....make some memories today and CAPTURE them.
Contact me for the Pick of the Month to save up to 25% on your projects as well.

Barb Ashcroft
Your Personal Publisher who is available for assisting you
barbashcroft@shaw.ca
250-752-5499 or 1-800-919-1998

20 Questions to ask when writing a Grandparent's Story

20 Excellent Questions to Ask

Questions = Page #

The Page # relatess to each question and tells you the exact page where you would put the answers when you create your

Grandparent Cornerstone Legacy Book

Example: Grandpa & Grandma _________: A Legacy That Lives On

Pg. 1: Their Legacy Lives On
What inspired you to write this book? What do you want your children to remember about your parents? (this is written from the perspective of you writing about your parents for your kids).

Pg. 2: Grandfather Benjamin
Give a brief biographical sketch of your father’s childhood. Where and when was he born, who were his parents, what were some of his childhood interests and experiences?

Pg. 3: Grandmother Esther
Give a brief biographical sketch of her childhood. Where and when was she born, who were her parents, what were some of her childhood interests and experiences?

Pg 4: When Grandma Met Grandpa
Write about how, when and where your parents met. What kinds of things did they like to do together? What did they admire about each other?

Pg. 5: Building a New Life Together
Write about why your parents decided to marry each other. How did your father propose? Where did they get married? Where was their first house? Describe their early life together.

Pg. 6: Working for a Living
What kind of work did your father do? Why did he choose that profession? What kind of professional advice would your father leave for your children? What kind of work ethic and legacy did he leave for them?

Pg. 7: A Woman’s Work is Never Done
Write about your mother’s work and responsibilities. Was she working when she met your father? In school? How did her responsibilities change as children came? What did she do to make your house a home?

Pgs. 8-9: A Growing Family
Write down the names and birthdates of your siblings as well as yourself. Include details about them such as their interests and talents, nicknames, or things they were known for. How did the children get along and care for each other? What experiences did you have that bonded you all together as a family.

Pgs. 10-11: The Places We Called Home
Write about the homes you grew up in. Write about your neighbors, your community, and your surroundings. How did that shape you as you grew up? Where were your favorite places to go? Who were your family’s friends?

Pgs. 12-13: Exploring the World Around Us
Describe family vacations or trips that you took together. When was the first time your parents took you beyond the boundaries of your regular home life and community?

Pgs. 14: Grandpa’s Favorites
What were some of your father’s favorite things: songs, food, recreational activities, books, quotes, music, hobbies, etc.

Pg. 15: Grandma’s Favorites
What were some of your mother’s favorite things: songs, food, recreational activities, books, quotes, music, hobbies, etc.

Pg. 16: Grandma’s Words of Wisdom
What kind of advice would your mother have left to her children? Make a list of some of your mother’s positive character traits. What kind of example did she leave as a legacy for your children?

Pg. 17: Grandpa’s Words of Wisdom
What kind of counsel would your father leave for his grandkids? What kinds of attitude and ethics would he like to see in his posterity? What kind of example did he set for his posterity?

Pgs. 18-19: Spiritual Reflections
Some people adhere to a specific organized religion. Some people have a more individualistic set of values they adhere to, but you can always tell a person’s true beliefs by the way they live. Write about your parents’ religious beliefs and personal philosophy of life.

Pgs. 20-21: Their Legacy Lives On
Write your own thoughts about your parents. Include thoughts of siblings, relatives, neighbors, etc.

This page is excerpts from our Story Maps

Once you create your free account you have access to Story Maps or cue sheets on the Studio Page. These include how to write a Life Story, a Love Story, a Baby Story and many more.

Follow these cues and you will have your Grandparent Cornerstone almost ready to publish. Just need to add the photos.

In fact contact me and I can provide you with a template that you only need to fill in your photos and your words. Totally customizable with your personal touches.

It never got easier to preserve the memories of those precious to you.

Create your free account today!

Barb Ashcroft

your Personal Publishing Consultant

http://www.recallwhen.com

http://twitter.com/recallwhen

BarbAshcroft@shaw.ca

1-800-919-1998 (North American toll free)

It is all about the JOURNEY

Life Story Classes:

This past week I completed teaching a four week Life Story Class for Seniors. It was magical! I felt so privileged to know these individual's stories. To see their excitement as they were able to place the photos and text about their lives in printed bound form was amazing.

When the books return from the publisher, many are sent off already, we will be having a dinner together; "Celebrating being Published Authors" and sharing about their books to each other.

Our course had a fee of $70.00 which included the introductory template to design with 21 pages.

Having these recorded for future generations is priceless, but that is not all.

I recently was directed to a website service in Vancouver that specializes in telling people's memoirs. I thought you'd enjoy the comparisons.

The most complete and largest Heritage Makers coffee table Heritage book (100 pages) I have ever created priced out at $141.00 usd plus taxes and shipping. It was an amazing process and the end result was incredible. I probably invested 200+ hours but it was a personal journey and was worth every minute.

The memoir company shares:
We specialize in projects for families and businesses, with prices starting at $125,000 for individual and family biographies and $200,000 for corporate histories. We also work with many of our clients on a long-term basis as "outsourced storytellers" where we are constantly gathering their new stories and delivering them back in creative and valuable ways.

Yes, they do interview you and your family.
Yes, they scan your photos and documents.

They write the story, they edit the story, they do the layout and they bind the books.

For me the enjoyment came in THE JOURNEY so I'm glad I did it myself, traveled across the prairies and scanned the family photo albums with my cousins and aunts, interviewed them myself, and re-established relationships with family.
ps I also saved the $124,859.00.
Yes, It is ALL GOOD!

Barb Ashcroft

Knitting families together with personal storybooks

Picture Taking

Excellent Picture Taking:
In December I interviewed Rita Schurman of Schurman Photography (award winning photographer) and I entered the highlights in point form in a newsletter.

You can find that here in the public archives, simply copy and paste into your browser as the link is very long:
http://heritage_makers_online_storybooking.intellicontact.com/heritage_makers_online_storybooking/tips_creating_excellent_christmas_pictures.html


With Valentines publishing deadlines right around the corner, it's worth showcasing these tips again. Let me help you publish your Valentines gift by January 16th to have an incredible personal gift to give her/him.

Barb
Digital Diva