| Uncovering Family Stories Through Photos |
| My dad’s good friend John passed away earlier this year. His kids put together a beautiful video tribute to him, and it inspired my dad to make a video tribute of his own. He put together a video of himself going through old photos of he and John and sharing stories about them. He went through photos I’d never seen—mostly photos of him and John on different sports teams—and told stories about them and the other kids. It ended up being a really cool video. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard some of these stories before! And, if he hadn’t decided to make this video, I don’t know if I ever would have. October is Family History Month, so there’s no better time to invite your relatives to share stories about their lives. Photo interviews are a great way to do this, because, like my dad’s team portraits, photos call to mind people, places, stories and details that otherwise you wouldn’t think to mention. If Dad told the story of he and John’s friendship without the photos, he likely wouldn’t have remembered the story about the kid on the baseball team who became a heavy metal guitarist, or the injury he got that one season, or the time my uncle photobombed their team photoshoot. Here at Family Tree we’ve got everything you need to do a family photo interview, from how to plan one, to what questions to ask, to tips for success. Unlike regular interviews, you’ll want to preserve copies of the photos along with the audio. Or, like my dad did, create a video of the interview with the photos displayed on screen. Read on for more projects and activity ideas for you to celebrate Family History Month; whether you’re embarking on a research project, finding a new way to tell your family’s story, or making family gifts for when the holidays roll around. |
