Questions to ask about an old family photo
Try one picture at a time. Who is in it? Where were you living? What happened just before or after? What is outside the frame? A short memory attached to a particular photograph is easier to find again than a long, unlabelled recording.
Keep uncertain recollections in the speaker’s own terms. “Probably the summer before the move” is useful context without turning a guess into a fact. Check the back of the print for names, a photographer’s stamp or a written date, and keep that image with the front.
Choose when to record
Enable Listen during review if you want to narrate while checking scans. The review screen shows when audio is being recorded. A saved photo also offers Record narration. Allow microphone access when you want to use this feature; typed notes remain available without it.
Take your time with the memory
Say who is pictured, where you were and what you remember. Recognized words can hold the review countdown. If on-device transcription is unavailable, or you simply need longer, tap the preview to hold it and use Resume countdown when ready. Do not rely on a pause in the timer as your only indication that recording is active.
Check names and uncertain details
Use Edit transcript or Type or edit a note to correct names and add details. Keep uncertainty in your wording, such as probably the summer before we moved. The original recording and transcript are retained separately from your corrections. Save the note or transcript using the action shown in that section.
Capture the reverse of the same print
Choose Scan back, turn over that print and follow the camera instructions. Check its crop and choose Save back when reviewing it. The reverse stays linked to the front as one photograph, rather than becoming a separate gallery item.
Use the front and back switch
On a saved photo, Front and Back change the main picture and the details beneath it. Narration, text corrections and crop adjustments belong to the side currently displayed. Save an unfinished text edit before leaving it; switching sides alone does not save the draft.
Check recognized writing
Open Text on the back and compare the recognized words with the image. Handwriting and faded dates can be misread. Correct Text from the print and save the correction. If a date or event is useful, add it explicitly through the photo's date helpers; a remembered story is useful context, not automatic proof of a date.
A few useful things to know
- Ask a relative to explain a few prints at a time. Short recordings tied to a specific picture are easier to revisit than one long recording.
- Use Original or Cropped beside the photo to inspect handwriting and details near an edge.
- For a separated collage image, open Source collage to see or scan the physical print's back.
Instructions checked against Then & There 0.2.66. Labels may change as the app develops.