Free Photo Story Starter: five questions for any old photo

The short answer

Download the PDF, print the Photo Story Sheet, pick one photo and ask the five questions. Jot the answers as notes, not sentences. Then use page 3 to turn your notes into a short story page.

US Letter PDFA4 PDF

PDF, about 471 KB each. Letter for the US and Canada, A4 for most other countries.

What’s in the free starter?

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What are the five questions?

1. Who’s here? Names, nicknames and how everyone is related. And who was behind the camera? Then try: “What was she (or he) like back then?” · “Who is missing from this picture?”
2. Where and when? The place, the year, the season. A best guess is fine. Just add a question mark. Then try: “What makes you think it was then?” · “What else was happening in your life that year?”
3. What was going on? The occasion, the day, and what happened just before the picture was taken. Then try: “Whose idea was this?” · “Why was everyone there?”
4. What’s outside the frame? What the photo doesn’t show: the sounds, the smells, the weather, who was standing just out of sight. Then try: “What could you hear?” · “What happened right after?”
5. Why keep it? What this moment means now, and what someone in the family should know about it a hundred years from now. Then try: “What would you want a great-grandchild to know?” · “Is there a word or saying that goes with this picture?”

How do you use it?

1. Choose one photo: a cheerful, ordinary one is the best place to start.
2. Sit down with someone who was there, or knew the people in it.
3. Ask the five questions in order, with a follow-up or two.
4. Write notes, not sentences, and add a question mark to any guess.
5. Label the back of the photo in soft pencil. See how to label old photos.

Can you share it?

Yes. Print it, copy it and share it with family, friends and groups, as long as it isn’t sold. Libraries, genealogy societies and family reunions are welcome to use it.