what will become when we die

[DaveKing]

In all seriousness, one of the reasons that we don't know what was happening in England (apart from Falstaff snuffing it), is that there is a complete lack of data. Social history is every bit as important as grand events. Our time (say 1930 onwards) is likely to be one of the best recorded periods and that will continue to improve with technology. The true skill will become the ability to filter that information.

Sorry to drag this back, but I would argue that 'our time' won't be any more or less documented than the previous 100 years. A lot of our information is now stored digitally and / or online. What happens when the software becomes outdated? Has anyone here tried opening a Word document that was initially created in the early 1990's - if you have what did you notice?!

Much of what is created now will be lost in the future, the same as any other time in history. My photos, as much as they are of interest to me will be gone when I go. 1 or 2 prints may survive a bit longer if and when I have kids, but I doubt it!

 

[Simon photo]

This is why i would love to create a photograph graveyard for the likes of us who feel our work will probably be just deleted or sit dormant as zeros and ones on virtual drives somewhere in the world. I really like the postcard idea in the film section of this forum, peoples work lives on in hard copy with like minded people.
Perhaps when i win the lottery or i am rolling in cash like Rankin i could set up an archive for the everyday Joes work to live on.

 

[Noah_]

Publishing a book of photographs would preserve our work I suppose?

 

[Noah_]

"The Talk Photography Collection" :}

 

[Simon photo]

"The Talk Photography Collection" :}

Given the community that is talk photography my guess is that EVERYONE will want in. Im not going to begin the maths but my guess is it would have to be printed bible thin or risk becoming a ten part photograpedia lol
BANG! That's it! Talk photograpedia
An edition for each section for each year. 1 image each

 

[Simon photo]

You heard it here first people lol

 

[minibloke]

This is something I was thinking about, not on a personal level but in general terms, yesterday as I went through some 30 year old negatives to scan some. They're there, physically. Someone might find them when I pop my clogs and have a nosey. CDs/USB sticks/hard drives etc. won't be inspected, they'll go straight into a skip.

Making prints, as suggested, or photo books, is probably the easiest way to give your photos some chance of surviving your demise without making special provision.

I agree. Having recently gone through my mothers items i came across the photos & slides of my parents and my sister & I. I also found a suitcase with my grandmothers photos. Most people will keep and flick through physical items, will they remember to go through memory sticks, cd's etc?

 

[Simon photo]

Im no luddite and i embrace the digital revolution we are bang in the middle of but i have and will always have a love for the hard copy, music art photography books. I don't care how many thousands of albums will fit on an eyepod. Give me 12 inches of black plastic and a piece of artwork to hold in my hands while i listen to it. When you have dropped your kindle or eyepad and its not working anymore my book will have been dropped, dunked in the bath and had coffee tipped on it and it keeps on giving.
Those lovely negatives i have created recently make me cringe when they come face to face with the scanner, i have no enlarger or dark room, but turn my favourites back into hard copies as soon as possible. Its just a pity that with progress we have created a throw away society with little or no value given to things other than the price we pay for them. Perhaps sentimental value could be taught early on in schools, perhaps then respect and care will follow.

 

[ChrisH]

As I'm the last in my line I would imagine those who inherit my pc will wipe the drives and give them away. As for my 100 years of negs and pictures I would imagine the local tip will get those. It's not morbid but I've thought about it and occasionally I wonder why I keep taking pictures. Hopefully the good ones will give me solice in old age pouring over them with happy memories. I even have the odd one or two from my ill fated marriage I keep, they are still part of my past.