With age comes wisdom... and frequent trips down memory lane. Apply your photographic talent to bringing the past alive and making new memories today. Follow these tips to offer your grandparents heartwarming photos.
Search through your grandparents’ old photo albums or your old computer files for snapshots of special moments and heartwarming photos. Sorting them chronologically can be a great idea, especially if you intend to collect them in a photo album. Surprise them with thematic mini-albums (covering their anniversaries or best vacations) or go take photos of important places in their lives and juxtapose them with their old photos of these same places. Or you can scan old souvenir photos and rework them with image processing software—just remember to scan them at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Note that some scanning software allows you to remove blemishes and marks on photos.
Give them a dedicated photo session. Suggest locations and themes, invite family members and make them look like stars for this emotional moment. Or if you favour a more intimate approach, you can always simply shoot a few portraits of your grandparents. Avoid low-angle shots, try to capture their gaze, expression or an inspiring moment. Black and white close-ups of a young hand in an elderly hand can be stunning provided you have the right lighting and it is taken against a uniform backdrop. Once the session is over, get your photos developed and framed in a series you can offer them.
There are many ways to present souvenir photos: you can place shots of each family member in a single frame or make a calendar commemorating twelve great family moments. Photo books are a more elaborate option that allows you to write captions and comments so you can provide a few details about the images.
Or you can offer them a more traditional type of album that highlights special family memories or milestone moments in the lives of their grandchildren. You could choose to separate the various chapters with a black and white portrait of each family member holding a slate on which they have written a thoughtful word.
Gathering all your family members for a picture does have a magical effect. Check our tips for successful group photos. Gather the family together and immortalize the moment.
