Scrapbook Page Layouts - Researching Old Photos For Your Scrapbook Page Layouts

The focal points of any scrapbook page layout are the photos that are used. Most people when designing and creating a new scrapbook will search their wedding photo album or their family photo album or through boxes of photos that have been passed down through generations.

Quite often when rummaging through old photo albums you will find some photos of people and despite trying to remember, you have no idea who they are. Obviously it is pointless adding these photos to your scrapbook page layouts without first finding out who is in the picture.

Being clueless to who is in the picture may cause you to disregard the photo and use one that you have more information about. However with some detective work and a little effort it is possible to find out more about who is in the picture. Who knows, you may uncover some family history that would be perfect for your scrapbook page layouts.

The first step of identifying who is in the photo is to record every piece of information you have. Begin by making a note of where the photo came from. Was it passed down to you from a family member? Did you find it in an attic? Location is also important so make notes on where the photo was found or taken. Check the photos for any writing on the back. Quite often you will uncover a vital clue such as a date or even a name and place reducing the detective work you will need to do.

Ask your family members if they have any ideas or clues about the picture in question. It is a good idea to make copies of the photo so that you can send it to family members who are not living near you and ask them if they recognise who is in the photo or have any information about it.

If no one comes up with an answer it is still possible to find out more information about the pictures you want to add to your scrapbook page layouts. The type of picture can sometimes reveal clues. Whether it is a cabinet card, glass plate and the size can often indicate the era the photo was taken.

Also pay attention to the clothing and props worn in the photo as this will also give you an idea of the period that the photos were taken which will help narrow down your investigation.

The best result would be that you do discover the name of the people and how you are related. However this is not always possible. If you do manage to find out small snippets of information such as the period and location of the photo you can still use this information to create beautiful scrapbook page layouts.

You never know, once you start to show your scrapbook pages to members of the family it may just jog their memory enough to reveal some vital information. The wonderful thing about creating scrapbook page layouts is that if you do later discover more information about the photos it would not be too late to add further embellishments or scrapbook quotes to the page.