Organizing Photo Scans for Family History

11 LMW photo page

I've been scanning photos and documents for Family History preservation.  Right away I realized I needed to organize the photos so that I can find the ones I need when I need them and so that others can make sense of the files as well. 
I know others are interested in scanning also, and thought I would share some information about how I scan and save my scanned files. 

I scan photos and documents with my HP Officejet Pro 8600 Printer/copier/scanner. When I'm scanning everyday items that don't need to be saved long term or don't have archival value to me, I use a lower resolution, but for scanning family photos and documents to archive and share I scan at a high resolution. 600 to 1200 dpi (dots per inch) seems to be a good balance between quality and the time the scanner takes to do the scan. 

I select 'Save as JPEG' in the settings menu when setting up the scan. Then when the preview is done and I'm ready to start the scan I can either save it as a JPEG file or I can click on the drop down arrow where it says 'Save as type' and choose 'Tif' This will save a larger file, but it doesn't alter when opened and closed multiple times so that I have a pristine scan to go back to at any time. When I save it I include 'tif' in the photo title.

 Then I do the scan again and save it with the 'save as type' JPEG. Then later if I do crops and fixes in Photoshop Elements, when I save them I choose the option 'Save As' and add a dash and a modifier so I know what that version is. I use c for crop, f for a photo I've done corrections on, like lighting or color, or fixing flaws. If I save versions I will add a number like c-1, c-2, for different versions. I almost never choose 'save' because that will erase the original and substitute the changed version. 

When you save a scan you have the option to name the image. This is where you need to figure out how you want to organize the photos. Folders in windows organize files numerically first and then alphabetically. I found out if I just typed a description of the photo they would get stored in a mixed up order. That's ok if sequence doesn't matter, but usually with photos you want some kind of time order to the photos. You can just number the photos and add descriptors after the numbers if you want them. That can get into some high numbers, but that's ok. I mainly do that if I'm uploading into an online album so the photos stay in the order I want them.

11 LMW APW 3 Store

11 LMW APW buggy 1900

11 LMW Enterprise 24th

11 LMW Group Photo

When I'm scanning mom's photo albums I do something more complicated. I know I'm likely to share the photos in any number of online ways, such as Facebook, a family history site, a family website or page, or in creating a photo book. I want to be able to look at the name of the photo and know where and when it is from. For example, when I scanned my Grandpa Winsor's Book of Remembrance, I gave each photo a number that corresponded with the page in the book. Then I typed LMW to indicate it was from Luther Murkins Winsor. Then I added a description of what the photo was. For example, 11 LMW Photo page. Because I also took the images of the pages and cropped out images of the individual photos I would then title the photos, such as 11 LMW Sara A Terry and Sister Mary Ann Huntsman. See the photos above for examples of the photos cropped from the page shown at the beginning.

I save all the photos from one album to their own folder. If there are a lot I may put them further into folders by year.  I have a folder titled 'Family History Scans' that all the individual folders are stored in.

1 album page

1-1 Robert Wixom & Rover Freedom Wyoming 1939

1-2 Olive Wixom & Laura Draney 1939 fix

1-2 Olive Wixom & Laura Draney 1939

1-3 EArl P Wixom Freedom Wyoming 1939

For my mom's album that I'm currently doing, I scan the entire page and then the individual photos. If I can't get them off the page without damaging them I crop them out using Photoshop. So I would name them like this. 1 album page, 1-1 Robert Wixom & Rover Freedom Wyoming 1939, 1-2 Olive Wixom & Laura Draney 1939-f, 1-2 Olive Wixom & Laura Draney 1939, 1-3 Earl P Wixom Freedom Wyoming 1939....and so on numbering each photo after the page number and adding as much description as I can from the photo back or the album page. If there is too much description I use a word document and list the photo description and add the additional information and save that in the same folder. 

For another album I used the year to identify each photo and then a number to indicate each photo in that year. Those albums were falling apart and I was redoing them onto archival paper in scrapbooking albums so I didn't feel like the page number mattered.

So now I can mix the photos in an online album and know where to go on my hard drive to find the originals to share with someone or get more information. If I can, I like to have the people's names, the date and place saved in the photo title, but if not, at least the year and a sequential number to keep them in order help a lot when I'm searching through the folders for particular photos. 

After I started organizing my scan projects this way I read a tutorial by a professional who scans for family history and found he was doing much the same thing as what I'd worked out for myself. The important thing is to have a system, use folders and not just give your photos random descriptive titles that leave them in an alphabetical jumble.

When you look at the reasons why we scan, it seems important that each scan be of as high a quality as we can reasonably make, saved in an organized way so we can find, understand and use the photos for ourselves and others, and backed up to keep the work safe. Additionally, there is nothing worse than photos where no one can identify the people, the place or the date. Including as much as possible with the photo to identify it is also essential to archiving and sharing scans that will bless our families and future generations.

Tuesday, January 6th Last Sunset in Waikiki

I've tried not to be too boring with sunset photos. It was my favorite time to be on the beach. Often I would stop whatever I was doing at our room about 5:30 and grab my camera and scoot the two short blocks to the beach. Our hotel was behind the Hyatt Regency which is located at the point where Waikiki beach ends and Kuhio beach begins. I always thought of them as one continuous beach, and they are, but there is an artificial division there marked  a stone jetty that divides one beach from the other.  
 

My usual spot to wait for the sunset-the big angled rock

I liked to find a spot just below the jetty at the edge of the beach where there was a stone that was just right for sitting on. There I could sit and watch the sun go down along with all the other things that were happening in the water and on the beach at the same time. Behind me there was a raised grassy area used for sunbathing in the daytime and on Tuesday evenings as a stage for a live Hawaiian music program. On Tuesdays (this was a Tuesday) there was recorded Hawaiian music playing as the sun went down.

As the sun drops, more and more people line up on the jetty with cameras

Just below me was an eroded stone wall embedded in the beach, and my rock was level with an extensive concrete platform. In the beginning weeks I took photos of the wall. The first time there was a guy building a sand castle on top of the wall. The next few times There was even less sand around it and the tide was right so that the waves were splashing  up against it creating beautiful curtains of spray. The interesting thing on this last night was that the big windstorm the Friday before had resulted in most of the wall and all of the concrete platform being buried in sand. 

The Beach on Christmas day, taken from my seated viewpoint,  lots of concrete showing

Same view, after the storm, nothing but sand.

You can see my rock on top of the concrete ledge, upper left

 

Same view, last day

This night there were very few clouds so I hoped to see and record the green flash, but there was too much haze at the horizon, so it didn't happen. It was still beautiful and inspiring. I had time to listen to just a little of the music in the program that started at 6 pm before I headed back to the room for the last time.

January 6th Packing, Last time Snorkeling, Waikiki Beach

This was our last full day in Hawaii. I had a bunch of packing to do, but I wanted to make sure I did something fun on my last day too, so I planned to go snorkel at my spot on Kuhio beach. 

I thought I would try re-setting the Go Pro to medium frame instead of wide and try it out this time and see if the photos were closer to the close up views I get with the Fuji camera. To try the difference I took a couple of shots of our room. This was not the same room we started with. Since we needed so many weeks we had to change rooms twice. 

Go Pro set on Medium

Go Pro set on Wide

I got away with my snorkeling stuff about three in the afternoon and headed down the beach, savoring all the sights, sounds and scents as I went.

I got some good photos and decided not to use the Fuji. 

Raccoon Butterfly Fish, this one is cropped

A good shot of my favorite, The Lagoon Trigger fish Go Pro, not cropped

Shortjaw Bonefish, and Bluespine Unicorn fish cropped photo

Moorish Idol, Brown Surgeon fish

Saddle wrasse, goat fish and Bone fish

Back end of a Chinese Trumpet Fish

The same Trumpet fish, the only one like this I saw

Bluespotted Cornet fish. Patterns appeared when another Cornet fish showed up. Before that it was like the one in the next photo

Cornet Fish

Spotted Boxfish- my little friedn again!

When I was done in the water, I showered at the beach shower and relaxed in my beach chair, until five pm. I headed home hoping to get dressed and come down to the beach again for sunset.

Monday, January 5th Hanauma Bay Snorkeling

Hanauma Bay from the tram ride down

My time in Hawaii was almost done. It was Monday and we were scheduled to leave on Wednesday. I had always had a goal to go to Hanauma Bay to snorkel, but the one other time I tried to catch the bus to go there the bus passed us by, too full to pick anyone up and the next one was not due for an hour, so I gave up and went snorkeling at my good beach in Kapiolani park instead. I realized I needed to get an earlier start. The bus that didn't stop was the 10:30 bus. The earliest bus comes sometime after 8:00 when it starts its run.
 

Beachgoers returning up the ramp

Tram Ride down

 I got up meaning to catch that early bus, but found myself stalling and feeling nervous. That's been my pattern with snorkeling. I want to do it, I plan to do it, but I feel nervous about it and find myself dithering around creating little delays and thinking thoughts designed to create excuses not to do it. I had gotten comfortable enough with the Kuhio beach snorkeling location to not be nervous about snorkeling there, but Hanauma Bay was an unknown, so this unreasonable nervousness was surfacing again. What I had to tell myself was that:
1-It was closed the next day and we were leaving the day after that. I knew I'd be really sorry if I let nerves keep me from experiencing Hawaii's best snorkeling beach. 
2-When I'm scared to do something that lots and lots of other people do, I know my fear is unreasonable and that I need to push past the fear because it isn't a reasonable fear. Doing it anyway is the only way to overcome it.
3-I can identify reasonable fears and take steps to protect myself, as in wearing my life jacket in case I get into deeper water, and taking care to stay in the beginner snorkeling areas. 

I ended up going down to the bus stop at 9:30 instead of 8:00. The bus came within about 15 minutes and had plenty of room, plus there were a lot fewer people waiting to get on than the time before. I enjoyed the ride and seeing some new vistas and neighborhoods. The route goes around a big bay and along a cliff top with great views of the ocean, surf and surfers. 

From where the bus dropped us there was a little walk to the visitors center and the ticket booth. I passed vendors of snacks and tee shirts, and overlooks where others were snapping photos of the beach far below. 

The non-resident, non-military admission is $7.50. I looked through the gift shop and at some interpretive displays, and managed to miss my scheduled time to view the nine minute film required of all who go down to the beach. So I got into the next one and afterwards came out and got into a trolley. For $1.00 you can ride down. For $1.25 you can ride back up. For $2.00 you can ride up and down unlimited times. For me it was a no-brainer. My bruised heel bone is still tender enough that I save the pressure on the foot for any walking I can't avoid.

Expense wise, the lockers are what cost. They are behind the counter where you can rent snorkel gear so you have to get an employee to put your stuff in and out. small lockers are $8 and large ones are $10 and there is no guarantee there will be one available, so an alternate plan for valuables is important. The small lockers were gone so I had to spring for a large locker to keep my phone, money and bank card safe. One thing to remember if you go there is that you go to the return window to get access to your locker, so you don't have to wait in the purchase line which is always long and slow. 

With my valuables secured, I looked for a spot to settle. There was a section of lawn nearby that had some space and I thought it would be good to stay out of the deep sand so things would stay cleaner, so I set up there. It was right by the lifeguard station and I thought that would be more secure for my stuff that wasn't locked up, not that there was much there in danger of being stolen. I put on my water shoes and sprayed sunscreen on my arms and legs. I had sun screened my face and neck when I dressed. I went and showered at the nearby outdoor shower (it really was a great spot, near to everything) and gritted my teeth to let the cool water run all over me, not just get my hair wet, so I could get used to the water sooner. I like to get my hair wet with fresh water to get it out of the way of the mask so I don't have salt water stinging my eyes from dunking it in the ocean. The ocean is much warmer than it is at home, but it is cool enough to take a minute to get used to and causes me a gasp or two as I ease in to deeper water. However, by the time I'm past my waist, my legs are used to it, and by the time I push off and pick my feet up off the bottom and put my face mask into the water, I'm not uncomfortable at all. 

The nervousness I'd felt earlier had vanished as soon as I got off the bus and now I was just excited to get in the water. I didn't bring my Hanauma bay book, so I thought I was going in at the first entry point, but I actually missed that part entirely and went in at the second entry point.  As I waded past a little boy and his mom, they were exclaiming and pointing, and I looked down and saw fish that were at least a foot and a half long swimming around nearby. I was barely knee deep at that point, and thought, 'I need to get in this water as fast as I can!"

When I submerged my face and started floating, I was amazed at the large fish that were swimming around me. I was seeing big Ringtail Surgeon fish and black and yellow striped Sailfin Tangs. These fish are 1.5 to 2 feet long and almost as tall. I had no idea this type of fish were so large!

Ring Tail Surgeon Fish 1.5-2 feet

Sailfin Tang- 1.5-2 feet

My main thing when I snorkel is to take photos and videos. It isn't easy because I can't really see the screen, so I don't know whether the shot is framed or not. I was using my little Fuji underwater camera and had been disappointed the first time I snorkeled because I had thought I took lots of great photos, but only ended up with a few because I wasn't pressing the shutter release button hard enough. Since then I've been careful to push the shutter release really hard and have gotten good photos.  I chose not to bring the Go Pro because I hadn't tried changing the settings on it to get more close up photos and I knew I could get good shots with the Fuji. I also didn't want to carry two cameras or worry about one of them if I left it on the beach or to have to keep getting out to switch cameras. I want to be able to just get in the water and only get out when I need a rest. 

Threadfin Butterfly Fish        6-8 inches long

Orangespine Unicorn fish

Orangespine Unicorn fish tail streamers

After photographing for awhile, I moved close to a couple who were standing chest deep in the water near a large formation of fossil coral. They told me there was a big eel, so I put my face in and found a full size spotted 'White Mouth Moray' eel hanging about 5 inches out of the rock with its mouth open. I popped my head up with a gasp, and quickly tried to get a photo, but the eel retreated before I could. After that I hung in the water trying to be there to take a photo of the eel when it came out again, but it didn't. I went off for 15 or 20 minutes looking at other stuff and then came back around looking for the spot again. Meanwhile my camera had gone to sleep and turned off. So when I spotted the place and the eel was hanging out almost two feet! I fumbled with the on switch and actually turned it on then off again, and while I tried to turn it on again and was waiting for it to be ready to take a photo, the eel flowed all the way out of its spot in the coral formation and swam away, turning the corner and going out of sight in the rocks and coral. It was just like a nature show shot, and I was so glad I saw it, I just wished I'd gotten video of it!

Bluestripe Snapper 1-1.5 feet

Bird Wrasse  6-8 inches  Colors-Indigo, Teal, Green

Cauliflower Coral with surprise nearby resident-I didn't notice it when I took the photos...

 I came around a corner of rock and coral and suddenly the biggest fish yet came up right in front of me. I identified it immediately as a parrot fish because of the mouth shape. I had enough presence of mind to snap a couple of photos and then started a video, all in just a few seconds. This fish was at least five feet long, maybe more and at least 2 feet tall, maybe more.  After I started the video, trying to swim a little closer, it took off and moved so fast it was soon out of sight. There was no hope of my being able to catch up with it, so I just collected my dropped jaw off the ocean bottom and moved on. (I actually was vocalizing 'oh my...' into my tube when it appeared. 

Ember Parrot Fish, Nearby fish are 1.5 feet and 1 foot long, estimate Parrot fish is 5-7 feet long...

After spending about two hours in the water I came out, a little chilled, a little hungry and thirsty. Breathing through a tube in a salt water environment leaves me with a dry, salty mouth. When my tongue sticks against the roof of my mouth, I know it's time to get out and get a drink. For some reason snorkeling makes me really thirsty anyway. I went to my little spot and had some nuts and Clementine oranges and some water, and rested and let the sun warm me up some. 

When I'd rested for half an hour I went back into the water for another hour. 

Rock Boring Urchin

Orange Band Surgeon Fish

humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua-a  Wedgetail Trigger Fish Hawaii state fish

Christmas Wrasse

Palenose Parrotfish

Palenose Parrotfish

Lagoon Triggerfish

It's hard to decide when to be done and go home in a setting like that. People are arriving and leaving all day long. I just finally got tired and was in an area where I wasn't seeing a lot of fish, and decided to go. It's always interesting how the shower that made me gasp and flinch feels warm and comfortable at the end of being in the water for hours. Drying off and getting dressed in the nearby bathroom/dressing room felt good. As I sat in the tram getting ready to go up, I felt so relaxed and comfortable. 

It turned out there were whales spouting and surfacing just outside the bay, so I sat and watched them while waiting. I'd had a little time at the interpretive booth and started watching them there while looking at the species photos at the booth. If I'd had my good camera with the telephoto lens, I would have tried to get some shots of that. 

The first entry point. I want to go back and explore that area

Second entry point where I started

The Beach

limbs down from Friday's windstorm

I got another fish identification book at the gift shop and went to the bus stop, where the bus showed up after 15 or 20 minutes, looked at us and never opened its doors, but just drove away. Apparently it was full. We found out from the next bus, which was going the wrong way, that he had called for another bus to come off schedule to pick up the slack. A van came, offering rides for $5 but I had a transfer slip from the ride there that covered my return, so I was willing to wait. $2.50 round trip trumps $5 one way. Sure enough, in another 10-15 minutes another bus came going back to Waikiki and I was home before 5 pm, and got there soon after Harry did, so the timing was good.