Preserving Family Memories with a Modern Day Digital Album

I lost my grandmother almost 9 years ago and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of her. I miss her dearly. She was such a big part of my life growing up, and some of the fondest memories of my childhood are with her.

But with each passing year, my memories get a little fuzzier and feel a little more distant. And whenever I try to remind my daughter of the wonderful woman who was her great-grandmother, pulling out the old family photo albums just doesn’t seem to do it anymore. So as someone who absolutely cherishes family photos (and of course as a photographer), I think that creating videos with those photos is a wonderful way to preserve memories. In a way, you’re really creating modern digital albums that last beyond a lifetime.

Prepping your video memory photos

The first step in creating those videos, or digital albums, is to digitize the photos. Now, if you’re staring at a couple of boxes full of family photos, you might feel a bit daunted. But digitizing old family photos is a lot easier than you think.

Creating your memory video

Once the photos are digitized, it’s just a matter of pulling them into your Animoto videos. Here, as with a physical photo album, organization is key. Maybe you want to categorize the photos by year or by theme (e.g. “Grandma in her 20s” or “Grandma and Beth, 1970 – 1979”). Or maybe you just want to compile a retrospective of a family member’s life. Whatever the case may be, a little organization goes a long way.

Sharing your video memory

And of course, once you’ve created these precious videos, you’ll want to share them with family members. I did this at a recent family gathering, and I tell you — it was such a great time; my extended family laughed and cried over the video. We must’ve shared stories and special memories of my grandmother and days gone by for at least a few hours. It was so special.

So the next time you’re feeling a little nostalgic or missing a loved one who’s no longer with you, think about making a video. The best part is that you can play the video over and over again, and be filled with warm memories each time.