It’s difficult for a family when a loved one passes away. At times like these, it’s best to focus on making the family-gathering a celebration of life. Often photos can play a role in that commemoration. Many clients come to us to do DVD transfers of old photos for memorial slideshows, and it’s always touching to play a small part in their healing process.
A small token of thanks for a sunny memorial slideshow
One particular client had a concept for making the memorial profound. She brought in a collection of photos of her mother through the years: from when she was young, getting married, having children, playing with grandchildren and finally when her health was failing towards the end.
She also brought in a video recording of her two daughters (who were five and two years old) singing “You are My Sunshine”. We did a video to DVD conversion and then put the song snippet at the end of the slideshow. My client also brought in a piece of art that one of her girls had colored ‘specially for Grandma.
The slideshow started with a custom graphic title screen “Celebrating the life of…” and progressed through all of the photos…with music to accompany the images we together had selected. At the end, the granddaughter’s painting came on the screen while the audio of “You are My Sunshine” played. What an emotional moment.
The DVD transfer was flawless and the photo quality was excellent. We were proud of our work and the family was very pleased with the outcome.
When the mother and two young girls came into the studio to pick up the final cut, the mother handed me a rock and told me that it was from her young daughter (she was too shy to tell me herself). The rock was obviously just one that the child had picked up in the driveway. But its significance as a thank-you present to Leave A Legacy for doing the slideshow for her grandmother was not lost on us.
I still have the rock on a display shelf in the studio to remind myself of the little girl who missed her Grandma – but now has an animated touchstone (by way of that slideshow) to remember her by. Always.
Sometimes the most amazing people (and pictures) come through the Leave A Legacy front door.
A tall man with a kind face visited our Fort Collins office recently and inquired about our negative scanning service. Out of an old folder, he pulled a very large and antique-looking negative – about 5 by 7 inches in size.
He doubtfully asked if we could handle a negative this big – and I said indeed we could. (Our negative scanning service can handle negatives up to 12 by 17 inches).
After a quick look at the image, I blurted out “Is that Custer?” Quite the opposite it turned out – it was a historic portrait of Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill. At least I was in the right era!
I felt sure this negative had to be quite valuable so I suggested it not leave the client’s hands for long – we did the negative scanning and B&W and sepia printing of it right on the spot.
While I was producing the final prints, the client regaled me with all the facts he knew about the amazing portrait. He pointed out the incredible detailing of Buffalo Bill’s jacket, told me what color Sitting Bull’s headdress was, and informed me about the historic occasion which caused these two legends to be sitting together for a souvenir photograph.
We do hundreds of photo reproductions and restorations each week, but I’ll certainly never forget this one!
We thought we’d share some ideas about how to set up a series of photos which illustrate a larger theme. Think of it as ‘storytelling’ with images that all share a pre-planned purpose.
We’ll focus on creating an intentional photo series about children growing up – perhaps all too quickly.
That’s the theme. Now what can you do with it? Inspiration can be as close as your closet!
One Outfit through the Years
Find a remarkable piece of clothing. Maybe an heirloom wedding dress, grandma’s colorful paisley blouse, the morning coat that your father wore on his wedding day, or your own polyester pantsuit from “the good ol’ days.”
Next, dress your newborn or toddler in the article of choice. Then take a photo of the child every year in that very same outfit.
Granted, the first few years your child will be drowning in the polyester suit or the morning coat, but you’ll see him or her slowly fill it out until she ‘owns’ it.
Imagine having such a progressive image showing your child from one year to 18 years of age – displayed at his or her high school graduation party. It’s a time-lapse shot that you planned two decades prior! This ‘same suit of clothing’ is also a great idea for making your own photo calendar.
