RichardQ Loc: Colorado

I am 90 and shot more than my share of medium and large (4x5) film negatives in my career. Most of my commercial negatives ended up in the client's files but I kept some prints I found interesting and share them occasionally here in UHH -- together with captions that explain what they show. I also have far more personal photos taken as long ago as 1945. I've found that many Hoggers find those more interesting than the professional career stuff, especially when I include an informative caption. My point is that if you hope to interest anybody in your photo legacy, write a caption for each image or a caption for each event, with the date and location and maybe some stuff about what was going on. People will save a package like that because it has information that makes it come alive. Make it easy for them. I've seen numerous articles based on an album of old photos that were accompanied by just such background info. Why not prepare a CD or DVD or whatever other new storage media comes along, including your best images, and either narrate what is happening or include text paragraphs - then clearly label it (with your name and date) in such a way that a stranger's curiosity will be aroused. Market your images for the future so you'll rest easy in your grave!

Rongnongno Loc: FL

See the thread Cull, cull and re-cull and then cull again.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I've given this thought over the years, and not just about photography and it's all meaningless in an ultimate sense. If anyone gives this subject more than a surface level analysis, then that's the conclusion.

In an immediate sense, does anyone really care about your great hummingbird shot?

Does anyone really care about my shots of my last vacation?

Sure, sometimes family pictures become cherished heirlooms and get passed down but again, in an ultimate sense...who cares?

When everyone you know and everyone who ever knew you is dead and gone...what's the point? If we are all just worm-dirt...then nothing matters.

You know what they say; if it's not important on the day you die...then it's not important...period.

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

A good point, but what about those shots we view via. links to various pages (posted by hoggers) featuring old London town, or 1930's New York for example. I don't expect our War Historian / photographer would have expected so many to see his work nearly 70 years later.

You just don't know what tomorrow will bring - but I am sure that just the sheer no. of images available will downgrade the no. of views, if any, for a particular image!

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

The ones framed my wife and kids (especially my son) will keep. Same goes for my hard drives and smugmug account.

hj Loc: Florida

Strange.... everyone is talking about technological archives that may become obsolete to future generations. What about making photo books that will last decades and generations. As I've gone through my over 30,000 images I acknowledge that MOST will not be of interest to others. SO, i have made photo books highlighting the best pictures of PEOPLE. That's what will be of interest to others. Compiled the best for each of our three children's families and made a book for each. Then I made a photobook of my best photos of my wife (mom)and labeled it such. Another one of best photos of me (dad). These will extend our memory through the years. Have also made individual photobooks of important events like son's achieving his Master's Degree - book for him. Granddaughter's soccer years - copy for her. 50th Anniversary for our whole family that went on a cruise. Get the picture - these books will survive even if they collect dust. Libraries of photos on the computer or cloud will most likely disappear.

Wanda Krack Loc: Tennessee, USA

Thank you Rongnongno for bringing up this subject. It is a subject that demands some thinking.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

My best images are put into a book each year that feature family along with some of my best photo's taken that year. I also post on several web sites and many folks thank them for bringing them a little joy each day. I also have had several shows and have sold many images over the years. My photo's hang in a lot of homes and my albums may stand the test of time. I get several calls each year from non-profits asking me to donate my images for art fund raising events. I am content.

blackest Loc: Ireland

I guess it depends on how much of a story teller you are but you could narrate a series of photos and create a simple project in iMovie or similar you can use stills or video footage. It would be quite fascinating to hear stories from my grand parents in their own voice.

This wasn't possible or practical really in the 20th century but now it would be relatively easy and cheap to produce. Just say what you want to say. Alternatively you can provide a subtitle stream if that suits you better although there would be a certain magic to hear the old boy speak. each little movie probably should be kept short say 10 minutes or 5 minutes. So no one feels obligated to sit for an hour a dozen 5 minute pieces would be easier to digest than a solid hour.

iMovie makes it pretty easy to place a photo on the time line and adjust the duration to suit what you have to say. Once each recording is made you can upload them to youtube, I have a few video's on there that have been up for years and barely watched by anybody. While I would hope a project like this would gather an audience there seems no reason why the videos would not be preserved on youtube for decades.

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

I have a box of family photos going back to the 1850's, lots of my Dad's photos from our Colorado trips. The old ones I scanned - they're mostly family portraits. Every once in awhile I post some on Facebook to keep the grandkids connected. Someone will inherit that box of photos and want to keep it. Mine? I hope so. I'm not sure about the digital ones. They don't have the same tactile feel that prints do, so I print some of mine out to keep in my own box.

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

I inherited a dozen of my grandmother's and mother's photo albums and as you noted, looked at them only once but largely because I had no idea of who, what, when or where for most photos. I'm making up a PowerPoint presentation of a hundred or so selected images from my thousands of photos and putting a caption under each one, explaining it to my kids. I'm hoping it will then provide context and a connection to them such that after I die, they will keep it and maybe even add their images and explanation for their kids. Kind of a running visual family history. As far as all my more "artsy" photos...probably gone forever but then again, most were taken for my own satisfaction and pleasure so I shouldn't expect any more.

Stephan G

And yet, we do have stories about found historic photographs saved at the last minute, providing treasure troves either in money or information, or both. One universal sad truth can be seen in the answer about the price for a Ty Cobb baseball card. "There are so few of them left." I have a piece of wood from a tree which was a sapling in 1776, counting back by the tree rings visible on the piece. At the moment, it is of great value to me because of its age. After me, who knows.

The vagaries of life.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

Wanda wrote: "Thank you Rongnongno for bringing up this subject. It is a subject that demands some thinking." Does it? My first thought is that Rongno needs a different hobby. Many folks take photos because they are memories revisited. They are not necessarily memories for anyone else. I take pictures because I like it. I consider them for MY benefit. That others who visit ask to see them is nice, but not necessary. It's MY hobby. What do I care what will happen to the images when I am gone? For now, I am here and I enjoy revisiting my memories from time to time.

cdayton

Recognizing that my computer and web photo files will not be passed on, I have been creating photo books for the past decade. The books, I believe, have a higher likelihood of surviving in the family. Then, I think, why should I care?

Dannj

Thanks to those who posted about photo books! I too have scads of images stored on my computer that no one has seen but me. Of course, I've printed many over the years of family, vacations, events, etc. Some are displayed, some given to those involved but most go unseen. The photobook is a great way to capture and personalize all of my amazing work for posterity!