When a loved one passes, most of us rush to find photos to remember and memorialize them. But with their spirit goes their stories. Wouldn’t it be great to capture those stories before it’s too late? Interviewing my grandmother, pictured beside me, is high on my priority list. She has so many great stories and has such a fabulous memory. I want to capture it all while she's still able to share them with me!

If you have a loved one, be they elderly or terminally ill, there’s no time like the present to dedicate some time to sit with them, look through their photos and document the memories those pictures invoke. A few tools to make the project easier include a handheld digital voice recorder and a Flip Pal mobile scanner. Whether you get through 10, 20 or hundreds of pictures, the legacy they leave behind will be that much richer. And just taking the time to sit and talk to them, especially for the elderly, will instill a sense of pride and importance in them, when many often feel forgotten and unimportant.

If this kind of project sounds right for your family, but seems too daunting, you can hire a personal photo organizer to help. And once their favorite pictures have been selected and their stories have been collected, the photo organizer can put them all together in a professionally bound book to present both to the storyteller and their family members. If you feel you can’t afford to hire someone to help, consider pooling money from several family members to make it more affordable for everyone involved.

I can guarantee you will never regret having spent money documenting your loved one’s legacy to be shared for generations to come!

Hello! And thank you for checking out my new blog! I launched my business in 2012 precisely because we are all drowning in a sea of not only shoeboxes full of printed photos, but literally thousands, upon thousands, of digital images taken with our fancy DSLR's, point-and-shoots and Smartphones. We know capturing images of our lives, both the big milestone events and the daily details, is important, but we don't know what to do with them after we click the shutter. That's where personal photo organizers like myself come to the rescue. We can spend as little as a few hours with you, setting up an organizational process for you to complete, or spend many hours with you sorting and organizing a lifetime of photos. We can come to your house once or on a monthly basis to consolidate and back up your family's photos. We can take your cherished pictures and create the most stunning displays of art for your home. We can relieve the anxiety and stress you feel at the thought of losing a lifetime of pictures. As we saw with Superstorm Sandy, it can happen in an instant. And what do those who have lost their homes most often go back to look for? Their pictures. Concrete evidence of a life well lived. Make 2013 the year you commit to organizing, protecting and sharing your family's photo collection. It's a commitment you won't regret!