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Photographs
Prints & albums
Loose prints, envelopes, albums and scrapbooks.
Photo scanning →
No exact count needed
A rough estimate is fine
Clear quote first
Price agreed before work starts
Originals returned
Your physical collection comes back
Collection by arrangement
Across Devon, Dorset, Somerset & Cornwall
Family collection service
Digitise and organise a whole family photo collection.
For larger or mixed collections, Only Yesterday can handle the boxes, albums, slides, negatives and family papers as one project.
You do not need to count, sort or catalogue the collection before contacting us.
Photograph: a genuine mixed family collection
What can be included
One project can contain different types of material.
We will tell you what we can handle directly and discuss any specialist material before work begins.
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Film
Slides & negatives
Mounted slides, transparencies and photographic negatives.
Slides & negatives →Photograph placeholder
Family papers
Letters & documents
Selected diaries, certificates, letters and captions that belong with the collection.
Discuss a project →Photograph placeholder
Optional
Restoration
Repair selected photographs that are faded, torn or damaged.
Photo restoration →Photograph: labelled photograph boxes, envelopes and albums
Organisation
The digital files should make sense when you get them back.
For larger collections we can create a practical folder structure based on the organisation already present in the photographs or on a simple system agreed with you.
- Keep album and box groupings where they already have meaning.
- Create folders by year, event, person or family group where useful.
- Preserve captions and writing where they add context.
- Supply copies for different family members if required.
How a family collection project works
We work out the project before we start scanning it.
Larger collections vary too much for a one-size-fits-all checkout.
1
Initial conversation
Show us the collection and tell us what you want to achieve.
2
Inventory & proposal
We assess quantity, formats, organisation and any fragile material.
3
Digitisation
The collection is scanned using the agreed workflows.
4
Organisation & return
Files are organised and all original material is returned.
Common questions
Family collection projects.
How big does a collection need to be?
There is no fixed size. The family collection service is most useful when you have several boxes, albums or a mixture of formats that would be awkward to treat as separate scanning jobs.
Do you decide what I should throw away?
No. The physical collection remains yours. We can help identify duplicates or suggest practical organisation, but disposal decisions stay with you.
Can you identify people in old photographs?
We can preserve names and context that you or relatives provide, and can help structure that information. We do not promise to identify unknown people from the photograph alone.
Can several relatives receive a copy?
Yes. Additional digital copies can be supplied for different family members.
Start with the collection
Show us the boxes, albums and envelopes.
A rough description is enough to begin. If photographs would help us assess the project, we’ll tell you how to send them when we reply.
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