One of the essential elements of historical preservation is the photographs taken of people, places and things. This has been joined in the last few years by the taking of videos.
The hobby of photography and videography can be very rewarding in the present, but few people consider that these photos or videos will provide a tangible link to your past and that of your community and may be the only record we have to document the past.
My hobby, ‘The History Hound Presents,’ is built upon the existence of these documents to our past, so it is not surprising that I am such a proponent of the capturing of the world around us. A part of my hobby is the taping of oral history interviews within our community. I started back in the late 1970s with short audio clips of people of interest and today I continue this practice with video interviews, many of them you can see on the History Hound YouTube channel.
I have conducted more than 300 interviews over the years, getting people’s reminiscences documented, saved for posterity. People have given me copies of their old home movies or family photos and I have been able to restore them and frequently use them in my heritage presentations and articles. Old Santa Claus parade footage from the early 1960s in Newmarket and area is such a rush to watch.
The new technology now allows one to restore old photos and videos and change the format to one that is easier to store and share. There is technology that allows one to identify the period that the photo was taken by the hair style, clothing, or background scenery in the photo.
I understand that advances are being made that will allow one to scan their photos for facial recognition to identify people from your past regardless of their ages in the photos.
While I am proud of my archives of video and photo memories, I do regret the fact that my ancestors and I did not save much more of our past.
The great news is that it’s never too late to get started, to decide to take more photos of your loved ones or to sit down with your loved ones and record their reminiscences. Years from now, the sound of their voice and sight of their smiling faces will mean the world to you. It will also allow you to better understand who you are, where you came from, what your people believed and what made your ancestors so special.
Today It has never been easier with modern smartphones capable of taking beautiful and vivid pictures and videos.
The best type of photos or videos to capture are those that inspire reminiscing. They can help you remember specific events in your life or spark conversations with friends and loved ones. As we enter later life, we come to realize that life is all about the important moments and people.
People often tell me, ‘Oh, it is just an old picture of a distant relative or a neighbour,’ but it is so much more. It captures some much historical data, their surroundings, their clothing and hair style, it is as if you have stopped time and captured the reality as it is at that moment.
Whether it’s a cup of coffee with a friend or your child’s first birthday, being there with your camera helps you to reflect on the good times later. Remember, you can be in your photographs, too, so the memories can feel even more like they’re your own.
Age-related memory loss is a common part of getting older. For many of us this can be a cause for concern, which is also a great reason to start capturing your life moments for its recall benefits.
Capturing moments also helps to keep the memories of the people in your life front and centre. By capturing the moment, you are helping to strengthen your emotional bond with them and the past.
While you may not realize it now, these moments that you capture will be of upmost importance to historians and those who come after such as grandchildren.
Remember to share your photos and videos so that they can be archived for preservation. It always breaks my heart when I see old photos and videos being tossed when I think that this is treasured history. I rescued a photo of a lady walking her dog and in the background was the building of the Peter Gorman pool, an historical event captured for posterity.
Taking photographs and videos is just one half of the photography experience, revisiting your photos with family or friends is the other.
Unfortunately, one’s memories don’t just stay in your head, you’ll forget most of them without a photo or a video to serve as a reminder. They also serve as a visual journal for our life events, not just memories. Documenting just how far we’ve come.
Here are some technical tips for those who intend to document their life through photos or videos.
- Record or capture every life event you find significant. Today it may not be important, but tomorrow it may be.
- Manage your files folder and sorting by years, months, and dates.
- Don’t forget to back up all your files to an external hard drive.
- Recording in 1080p will be fine. You don’t have to record in 4K.
- Always bring your camera or your cellphone with you.
- Shoot from a variety of angles.
- Share your photos and videos to YouTube or social media sites. Gift copies of your photos to local historical archives or historians.
I can attest to the fact that while a photo or video may be worth a thousand words, the right pictures are worth much more than that. I have focused on the importance of documentation for historical preservation but remember, documenting our lives helps us appreciate the present as well. Recording the world around you will help remind you what went right and what went wrong, so please keep a photo journal or video journal, and remember to share it freely.
We just recently lost my wife’s mom and the ability to look back at her life and re-live it through the visual memories that the family created is a blessing, let me tell you.
I am so thankful to all of you who have shared your photos and videos for my heritage presentations and articles. I want to thank those who sat for oral history interviews, and I hope that you treasure those moments that we captured that day. They are now safe for posterity.
Sources: The Importance of Preserving Memories Through Photography by Jori Hamilton; Keeping Your Memories Alive: The Benefits of Photography by Annie Button; 5 Reasons Why You Should Take More Photos by Ilro Lee.
Newmarket resident Richard MacLeod, the History Hound, has been a local historian for more than 40 years. He writes a weekly feature about our town's history in partnership with Newmarket Today, conducts heritage lectures and walking tours of local interest, and leads local oral history interviews.
