Q298: Qualms About Photo Purge

Although I take digital photographs, scan old photographs and store all these on the computer. I also make a backup. What about keeping photos? Do you? As you can see, I have a metal box filled with photographs. These photos have all been scanned and organized. On the other hand, for this purge I emptied a cardboard box filled with snapshots. The first pass is done. But, I need to scan and decide what to do with the original photographs.

A part of me just wants to pack them away in another metal box and label both for my son. I had a similar category, termed 'legacy content', in the twin to this metal box. I wrote about the box (another family's legacy) and my cassette music stored in it for another partial purge that needs more attention.

For now, I will put whatever I have completed in my closet or shed because he has no room. I will also burn cd’s for him when I have finished scanning. He may choose to simply toss them. I was thinking that he may one day have children and grandchildren who might be fascinated by our primitive photographic records and our stories. If not, it doesn’t really matter. I get a kick out of the images, but I don’t need to touch them as some do.

I have a wall of family photographs and computer folders filled with them. But, the graduation photograph isn’t leaving the damn box.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think you should keep them. There's nothing like actual physical photos - the paper, the color quality, the way the edges are cut, all give a real feeling of the era they're from.

Purging isn't the goal; getting rid of what you don't want or need is the goal. If they aren't making you unhappy, keep them.