I decided to do some background research into the subject I am documenting, so looked at articles and discussion by photographers and psychological experts into the decline of printed images and the new evolution of viewing photographs online. I feel that the decline of printed images and photography albums was going to happen one day, as we are in the age of technology.
"Those conversations (she discussed how people viewed their images, most of the people she spoke to had all their memories stored on their computer, however, a few people said they have to have prints so they can 'feel' their memories) were enough to shake up all my stereotypes - that men don't scrapbook, young people don't want prints anymore, and older people are afraid of computers. It started me along the path of investigating what is the 'photo album' today in this digital age, and where is it going?"
She then started to analyse the ways people have replaced their photo albums in the digital age. She developed ideas of how people replaced them, including storing them on hard drives, creating e-albums and sharing links, making digital slide shows, and creating photo books online through placed like Blurb (ironically, where we are producing our book for this module!)
"Think about the purposes a photo albums serves: preserving the family memories for generations to come, sharing an experience with friends, or making sure an occasion isn't forgotten. In all its forms, photo albums are for memory preservation (archiving), sharing and, most of all, storytelling."
When I was younger, my Granddad used to show me photographs of his family who had long deceased, so I could relate to them although they were no longer with us and I would never meet them. I also have old photographs in my room of when my Grandma met the Queen back in the 60's, which are memories that couldn't have been preserved any other way. To this day, I continue to get my memories printed and framed in my room, photographs of me and my boyfriend, me and my family and memories of holidays.
"Many people are still unaware of the security issues of storing their digital pictures on the hard drive without any kind of back-up. If the shoeboxes in the closet are prey for flood and fires, the 'digital shoeboxes' are similarly subject to viruses, hard drive failures, and other e-disasters. In fact, even images burned to a regular CD will deteriorate in about 5 to 7 years; only a gold CD can promise a longer lifespan. The industry must work to educate consumers before a generation of images are lost forever"
SOURCE:
http://www.zoomalbum.net/press/photo_marketing.pdf
TEXT BY MEG WESTON - IMAGE AND CONSULTING EXPERT
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