As we have already seen with the picture at the left of Robert E. Lee, and discussed in the section on standard document formats, having a single set of standards for all like groups of pictures can help standardize both the storage and retrieval of images.

But a second issue is one that has only come to light as we worked with more and more images over the years. Many years ago we recognized that often one family member will recognize a photograph and instantly know the person or other content of the image. Over time though, the person or place the photograph represents is lost and the picture becomes nothing more than an image. How many times have you said, "I wish I had asked who this was before cousin Frank died, he was the only one who knew."

Even with many of our photographs marked on the reverse with valuable information, that information is not scanned and therefore not visible to others. So we want to extablish a standard for all the photographs we store where the critical information about the image is attached to the picture as if it were a part of the picture. Once this decision is made, then the questions become how and what information?

How do you attach additional information to an image?

If you have a program such as Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, then this process is very easy. Just resize your image to the size discussed in our article on Image Standards, and then create a canvas that is one inch wider or longer. Then add the appropriate text to the image to document its purpose (See example).

Other programs are capable of such manipulations, but we can not document all of them here. If you have a program that you would like to use and do not know how to resize your images to create the documentation then please contact us and we will try to lead you through the process as we have time.

Image Information to Attach

Below is a list of the information we would think most helpful when documenting a picture. In many cases you will not have all this information and we would suggest including as much as possible with each photograph.

• People
  • Name
  • Birth date and location
  • Death date and location
  • Marriage information if appropriate
  • Approximate date picture taken
  • Contributor
• Buildings and other objects
  • Place name
  • Location
  • Approximate date picture was taken
  • Contributor

Naming Conventions for Images

Naming images can be problematic because of the wide diversity of items that can appear. Generally we will separate images into people, locations, tombstones, and other.

People

Photographs of people should be named with the prefix of "per" using last name and initials, and a two-digit tie breaker number on the end. (Example: the first photograph of me on the web site would be named per_whitehead_rc_01.) When the photograph represents a group please prefix the picture name with "grp" followed by the most prominent surname of the group, followed by the two digit tie breaker. (Example: a family reunion photograph of the Comer family that is the third one in a sequence would be named grp_comer_03.

Locations

Locations and places should be named similarly to groups of people, but with the prefix of "loc." These should also have a two digit tie breaker on the end of the name. State names should be appreviated using the postal format. (Examples: A photograph of Athens, Georgia would be listed as loc_athens_ga_01 if it is the first one in our list. A photograph of the Howard Home Place on Oglethorpe County, Georgia is more problematic because of the length of the name. We would name it loc_oglethorpe_ga_01 and let the detailed description on the photograph separate it from others.)

Tombstones

Tombstones are less of an issue since they are almost automatically noted through inscriptions. The issue is naming conventions to help separate who the picture represents. What about tombstones with two or more people on them? Our naming convention here will be the prefix "tms", followed by the surname of the person who is left most in the photograph, followed by that person's initials and the customary two digit tie breaker. (Example: my tombstone would read tms_whitehead_rc_01. If my whie and I are buried together with a single headstone and she is buried on the left as you face the tombstone then it would have read tms_whitehead_kd_rc_01. Pictures of the cemetery as a whole we want to always sort to the front of the list, so they are named with a number preceeding the name. For example: tmb_1_alta_vista would be the first picture of the Alta Vista Cemetery..

Other Pictures

We are sure that other categories of pictures will come to light as the site progresses and we will note those classifications here as they emerge.