A Guide to Handling Old Photos in a House Clearance
When a relative passes and you are called upon to help with the practical matters, old photos usually need dealing with. Learn more about what to consider with our short guide.
If you’ve ever had the responsibility of clearing out a relative's house after their death, you’ll be familiar with how weighty and daunting the task can be. It is, however, one that many of us will face at some point, and after the furniture, keepsakes, paperwork and personal items have been sorted, there will be the boxes and albums full of old photographs to deal with too. Deciding what to do with these images can be complex – what should you keep, what can you redistribute and to who, what needs extra investigation, and after all that what is reasonable to dispose of and how are all questions that might surface from even the smallest of collections. Where do you start?
An Emotional and Practical Challenge
Discovering old photos during a house clearance can be a deeply emotional experience. The images might capture moments that shaped your family’s narrative, offering insights into a past that might be unfamiliar or even forgotten. But as sentimental as they may be, dealing with them requires practical thinking and a clear plan.
Step-by-Step Guide to Dealing with Photos in a House Clearance
1. Take Your Time
Unlike many other items in a house clearance, photographs are irreplaceable and require careful consideration. Don’t rush this process. Set aside specific time to go through them, ideally when you’re not under pressure from other tasks.
2. Sort and Categorise
Begin by sorting the photos into categories. You might organise them by era, family member, or event. This helps in making decisions about which photos to keep, digitise, or discard.
3. Involve Family Members
Old photos often hold meaning for different members of the family. Consider reaching out to relatives to see if they would like to keep certain images or have input on how they should be handled. This not only distributes the emotional load but also ensures that the photos find a home with someone who values them.
4. Consider Digitisation
Digitising old photos is one of the most effective ways to preserve them while also making them easier to share. Digitisation also protects images from physical degradation and allows multiple family members to have copies where necessary. Vintage Photo Lab can collect everything from you and deal with it in a quick, professional way. We send you everything you need for the collection including boxes, shipping labels and an Apple AirTag (digital tracker) to keep an eye on your belongings whilst in-transit. We book the courier for you and as soon as we're finished you will have instant access to high resolution versions of all your old photographs, slides, negatives, photo albums and even home movies (Cine film, VHS and camcorder tapes).
5. Decide What to Keep
Deleting files, as well as labelling and reorganising them is far easier to do after the digitisation process. Not every photograph needs to be kept. Consider the value of each image – while it may be hard to let go, being selective ensures that the photos you do keep are truly meaningful.
6. Share and Distribute
Once you’ve digitised and organised the photos, consider creating digital albums or physical photo books that can be shared with family members.
7. Enjoy the Memories
Take comfort in the moments you’ve unearthed. A beautiful life is a collection of unforgettable moments after all. And while sometimes we don’t realise how good the good old days were until they’re gone, it’s moments like this that remind us to cherish what we have now.
At Vintage Photo Lab we’re often called on to help with the photos during house clearances and can attest that the task at hand is invariably as much about emotional processing as it is about physical sorting. As much about honouring your family’s history as it is about emptying out a space. Take your time to carefully assess, categorise, and preserve what you can and you’ll find the results can be highly rewarding.
We can help you and your family make some order of things, ensuring that everyone who would like to keep memories of those photographs can have access to copies.
Know someone who might be facing this challenge? Share this article with them to help them navigate the process more easily.