If this title intrigues you, chances are good you’ve

• Unearthed a long-forgotten box (or three) filled with a jumble of memories, vintage equipment or accouterments that you have no idea what they are, or what’s in them .
• Spent waaay too much time wading through many images, searching for a specific image you know is …somewhere.
• Surveyed the damage of a household incident, and rued memories lost to a wayward washer hose or Mother Nature.

Attempts to permanently capture images go back to the 1800s.  Originally a treasured rarity, technology has increased quality, options and availability while reducing costs ever since. Exponentially so in recent years…and yes, that’s both the good news, and the bad news.

On a phone, in a faded envelope, on a reel, in a carousel, or encased in some sort of plastic cartridge, we all have a lot of visual history. Technology keeps changing, and we vow to deal with it ‘someday’. Every day I  see clients struggle with the quantity, and the pain of having to make decisions. But there’s another way!

A client need nudged me to finally connect with a business I’ve been meaning to’ know more about for some time.

Meet Lorinda and George, owners of Photo Works in Pleasantville. Village fixtures, but now in a new shop about 150 south of the original location. Combined, they have 60 years in the business, marrying a love of the art form, with a passion for technology that makes preserving, organizing  and accessing it easier for their clients.

Lorinda advises time and conditions degrade audio and visual content. Movie film or tape in any format, audio cassettes, reel to reel, slides, photos or negatives: Digitizing (getting your content from one format to another) can get it all onto a CD, DVD or USB stick

• Preserves, and backs up
• Organizes and reduces the amount of space they take up
• Make access, and sharing more convenient

Old, faded photos? New technology lets them scan and revive color. Old equipment, not sure what it is, or if it’s worth anything? Talk to George. Want to share, or divvy up memories–either practically, or in a more creative, gifting way? Lorinda’s the expert. (Chronological is hard; she advises grouping by person, or by occasions-holidays, birthdays, etc).

Which brings me to the best part of Photo Works…

Besides sunlit and cozy; besides the coffee, besides providing free viewers for their clients to see their slides and tapes. Besides handy self-service kiosks to print photos and the kids activity table so mom or dad can concentrate.

It’s Lorinda and George. They understand what your memories mean, and know how to help you untangle the jumble. They know all the ways to keep them close and safe; and they’ll help you figure out what’s best for you!