photo vandalism

[Sanda]

This is from a post I made in another thread.
Recently I was reading an article in a local paper about a scrapbooking shop which had just opened and was horrified when the owner talked about people cutting up "old photos of ancestors" to make attractive scrapbooking pages. I wanted to tell everybody that they should copy the photo and use the copy rather cutting up the original. I just couldn't believe that somebody would be so irresponsible to advocate cutting up original photos. I know these people own the photos and have a right to do whatever they want with them but it seems like vandalisim to me. Am I being silly? Do you have an opinion on this type of thing?

[thomasgeorge]

In the end, its the owners choice what they do with a photo, but I agree with you..just because a person can do something does not automatically make it the best thing to do...
However this points out, in a most excellent way, the power and usefulness of digital means to copy,print and preserve originals...without spending a large amount, a person can get a simple " down "n" dirty" copy made to perform any atrocity they can think of on and still have the original untouched...which is a good advertising point as well as something to let clients know about..but perhaps couched in a more polished manner than the way I just put it....Tom

[G. Couch]

I don't think you are being silly at all! I would make every effort to inform and educate people. A lot of people have scanners and computers and are not really aware of just how easy it is to make a good copy...often with technology they already own!

Ultimately people can do what they want with their photos, but cutting them up for a scrapbook seems pretty reckless to me. Scrap booking seems to be a big fad right now, which is great, but an old photo is priceless...at least in my opinion.

[Ed_L]

I agree with the others. While scrapbooking might be getting popular, I think the crafters should be educated in why they should keep the original photo intact, or at least scanned for future generations. People just don't ordinarily think of a snapshot as having any value, but those generations to follow might actually love to have the old pictures from the early years of the twenty first century. In fact a few years down the road, they, themselves, might like to have them to look back on too.

If there is a scrapbooking club in your area, you might even offer to do quick scans and prints for a reasonable amount, especially if done in numbers.

Ed

[jeaniesa]

Originally posted by Ed_L
People just don't ordinarily think of a snapshot as having any value, but those generations to follow might actually love to have the old pictures from the early years of the twenty first century.

I can say from first hand experience that this is true!! I'm helping my mother sort and catalog her parents' photos. My grandmother (her mother) apparently liked to cut up pictures - either cutting around a person to remove the background, or just in half to remove "extraneous people." It is driving us CRAZY not to have the rest of the photo!! Luckily, the majority of photos are still intact, but everytime we come to one that has been cut up, we let out a collective groan. At least once per sorting session, my mother will say, "Mom, WHY did you DO that?!?"

So, of course, I agree with everything that's been said here - and I do NOT think you're being "silly" at all Sandra. There is certainly room for education here - and possibly business opportunities if you can price your services such that they are attractive to scrapbookers (who can spend an inordinate amount of money to get "cute" borders, stamps, cutouts, etc.) and still worth your time. And even if you don't want to pursue it as a business opportunity, I think the education aspect could bring in business for other areas that you do want to focus on - and help the "cause" against cutting up photos!

Jeanie

[chiquitita]

I would imagine that the store (or the person) is making copies of the photos. Maybe that just wasn't mentioned in the article.

I can't fathom that a store would cut up originals or advocate doing so. But there are stupid people everywhere I guess....

[Sanda]

I went into the Scrapbooking shop in question and spoke to the owner who confirmed that she thought nothing of cutting up, as she put it "Old useless photos". I was quite diplomatic and suggested that maybe in years to come the families might want the originals intact but condeded that it was the choice of the owner to do as they wish with the photos. I asked if she had the facilities to copy the photos if her customers wanted but she thought that was useless. I gave her my card and told her I would be happy to do a special deal for any of her customers who wanted copies of their photos for scrapbooking, she took the card but I got the impression it went in the bin as soon as I left the store. I was quite dissapointed with her attitude but it takes all kinds to make this world go around I guess.

[G. Couch]

That's pretty discouraging news Sanda. "Old useless photos"...if they are so "useless" why are they going into a scrapbook? I would have to think this woman's customers are wiser than that...I hope they are! She might not be in business very long with that kind of narrow minded thinking.

[thomasgeorge]

Well, at least you tried...but people who are in the Scrapbooking line and dont care about the original photos, etc., are probably not interested in anything but a quick buck..just a suggestion, why not advertise something to the effect:
" Attention Scrapbookers...see us to have copys made of your original photos,etc.."
If you dont do anything other than a scan, tone adjust and put 4 photos per printed page, you could keep the costs down to the client and help educate people to hopefully see further into the future than 10 to 15 minutes and not destroy a one of a kind original....Good luck! Tom

[Gerry Monaghan]

Scrapbooking

It is funny to think how the scrapbooking industry has evolved. The name scrapbook meant a place to arrange 'scraps'. I have gotten alot of experience rebuilding photos of our family because my mom (God bless her soul) cut up all our family photos back in the seventies, and then arranged them on top of bright orange paper (grrr). In fact, in my brochure, I put in a line about specializing in repairing damage from scrapbooking.
I think this is a great opportunity for us to offer to reproduce photos for "scrapbookers". Sieze the day photo-restorers! There is money to be made. Gerry

[Aric]

It sure doesn't sound like this com[any will be in business long when they are calling their future products "old and useless".

My photographs and portraits are my most prized posessions. I know if my house was on fire, those "old and useless" photos would be the first thing i grabbed on my way out!