GrandmasKitchen

Thanks a million for sharing your thoughts. It has been so helpful, and is much appreciated.

Especially appreciated the link, example photos, and specific equipment or product recommendations in the responses above. About scanning... may I ask more questions of those who have used this method of digitalising old family treasures? Our goal is to produce a clear and clean reproduction, that will allow for 1. easy sharing 2. printing for display and 3. preservation, in case of loss of the original. Can anyone with experience of scanning old photos share a review of how well it worked to print out images for display? We have a flatbed scanner, which is fine for documents. But when we have tried to scan photos on it, the result is dreadful. The photos are "spotty". I assume this is some kind of dust or lint problem? Also, I've got some rather delicate photos which are coming up on 100 years old... will the harsh light from the scanning process damage them? I've included one such photo, that of my grandmother. This is just a snapshot taken on my phone. You may be able to see how beat up the photo is... it's really starting to crack and perish. My grandma has about 60 descendants at last count... I really feel a responsibility to produce a good quality copy that is available for the wider family to print, before the original gives up the ghost. Any insights gratefully received, thanks!

Wow, thank you all so much for offering your insights and discussing options. It has been extremely helpful! And has given me a lot to think about. We are trying to balance issues of convenience, cost, and quality, so the range of suggestions regarding lighting was illuminating

Hi, everyone. Seeking tips and advice about lighting for a photography project at home. My husband and I are creating a sort of family history archive. We are looking to create high-quality digital photographs of all the old family photos and documents that have been passed down. So we're taking photos of photos. As a photography newb, the first hurdle I'm facing is getting a sensible lighting situation. Right now it's just natural light from the windows combined with our home's normal overhead lights, occasionally supplemented by a little side lamp. This results in a frustrating combo of glare, shadow, and even a mirror-like reflection on the face of the photo being photographed. I've thought of maybe laying the subject photo in the bottom of a box with high sides, to cut out the side light, then lighting the inside of the box by some means in a way that doesn't cause glare but bright enough to get a really good photo. What kind of light or lamp would you suggest? Or is a box idea just the sort of cute idea a non-photographer would come up with, when there is a simpler, better solution? Your advice welcome! We have considered scanning the photos instead, which would address the lighting issues, but I find that scanning is not a clean enough image (always seems to have dust specks and lint in the image), and some of the portraits are just too big for a scanner.

Hiya! I decided to give this forum a go, as it was billed as the friendliest online photography community in the known universe. I'm here for educational purposes; my husband and I have both been entrusted with the stewardship of old photos and documents from our respective families, and we want to photograph and digitise the lot so it can be preserved and shared with the wider family. As I'm a complete novice in the photographic arts, I'm hoping to glean some kernels of wisdom from those of you who know your way around a camera. Thanks for letting me join your party!