The Importance Of Identifying Old Photos

It is so import for all of us to properly identify old photographs. Why? The answer is because inevitably we won’t be around forever to explain these moments in time. Take this photo:

Without identification, it appears as a poor early color photograph of a rock outcropping. Why was the photo taken?

The year was 1970 and I had graduated college six months before and was in Yosemite National Park in September on vacation. My sister was a well-known mountain climber in the area but unlike her, I was more into fishing than climbing. The location was Pothole Dome. On a bet with my new wife, I said I could scurry up to the top of the dome without any climbing gear. If you look very carefully, you’ll see a tiny speck just below the summit on the right of the photo. That’s me in all my triumph as I headed for the top.

Without proper identification, this photo would be tossed out when I’m gone. It may be tossed out anyway but at least the tosser will know what he or she is tossing.

The point is simply this: We often presume that someone in the future will automatically know who was in a picture, when it was taken and why. This is almost always not the case. I have a whole drawer full of unidentified photos from my grandparents that I am working to identify. It would be great if they left me some clues. Spend some time categorizing and identifying your old photos. You’ll be glad you did!

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Read author Allen E. Rizzi’s latest books available at Amazon.com