Does LA Need Photo Help?

Posted on September 26, 2016 by pixologie

This past week, I had the opportunity to take Pixologie on the road to LA for Craig Duswalt’s Rockstar Marketing Bootcamp. We love talking about photo organizing and thanks to seeing Craig at our national conference back in March, Pixologie produced its first book, A Simple Guide to Organizing Your Family Photos (more about the book in another post!) We thought we would have a blast attending his full conference.

Here’s what stands out . . .

Visiting with a statistician on our plane ride to LA – Susan explained that she really didn’t think she cared about saving her photos, wanting to look forward instead of back. Our conversation led us to a description of her antique family scrapbook albums from the late 1800s. When we described how we would save the photos that mattered (identifiable people, situations, etc.), she was horrified at the thought of disassembling the album. She admitted she cared more than she thought.
Meeting a woman who lived not far away from our conference – her house had recently burned down in the wildfires that plague California. Fortunately, her family is safe, having been evacuated from the area prior to the fires getting to her home. However, the evacuation process was fast and allowed for no time other than getting the family and dog out safe. She said, “We were given 30 seconds to grab what we could. Taking the photo albums was not an option.”
Considering our host, Craig Duswalt’s own story of lost photos from decades ago. As the Personal Assistant to Axl Rose and touring with Guns N Roses, Craig experienced a world we can only imagine. He was fortunate enough to attend an event where he could get pictures with musical legends . . . but he accidentally left his camera at a restaurant with all of those amazing moments gone forever. Now, back then, the camera was loaded with film, but we know how it feels in today’s digital world what it is like to lose priceless photos.

We thought this would be a fun time and it was! And, yes, the people we met while in Los Angeles have photos they need to sort and get back into their lives – as do people everywhere we go!

Do you need help with a place to start organizing your photos? Give us a call (414) 731-1881 or email us here – contact@pixologieinc.com . . . we’ll send you our QuickPix Guide to Organizing Your Photos & Media!

Pixologie – www.pixologieinc.com

Setting An Audacious Goal – 250,000 Photos Saved!

Posted on September 24, 2015 by pixologie

By Ann Matuszak

Goals. We all have them, personal and professional. Goals. We set them frequently, achieve them more sporadically. If you have truly set a goal, then you don’t quit until you achieve it and if necessary you bring in the support you need to make it happen.

Pixologie is known for setting big goals, in fact, we call them Audacious Goals. On the cusp of Save Your Photos Day, Pixologie and Friends is inviting everyone in the Photo Organization, Family Story Telling and Photography world to join us on achieving a truly Audacious Goal. In the next 10 days, we want to save, preserve and protect 250,000 photos by scanning and digitizing them.

As reported by Gary Pageau in PMA, a recent study by Kodak Alaris found that fully one-third of British smartphone users have lost photos and that 46% of them are worried about accessing their photos in the future. As members of the Association of Photo Organizers (APPO) and one of the founding members of the Save Your Photos Alliance, we are committed to offering solutions for these realistic fears. We all know that photos matter. Photos connect, inspire, enrich and celebrate lives.

With the power of our Kodak Alaris Picture Saver Scanner PS50 and PS80, we are ready to get to work. Well, to be honest, we have already done 20,000+ but we are just getting started!

We are thrilled to have Pixcel, PixologieCarolinas, PixologieTeam and E-Z Photo Scan already committed to sharing their numbers. Want to be part of an Audacious Goal? Join in by scanning a photo, back it up in two places, save it to offsite storage like Reflectera or Forever and then get on board by sharing your scanning numbers using #Audacious Goals in your social media posts or emailing me – annm@pixologieinc.com!

We will collect numbers thru October 4^th and post the total on October 5^th. Scan a photo; save a story. Scan 1,000 photos; save a family history. Every single one matters. Ready to blow the lid off an Audacious Goal? Let’s start scanning!

It’s Time to Save Your Photos This Saturday!

Posted on September 20, 2015 by pixologie

Check Out Your Local Partners in Preserving Your Memories!

On Saturday, September 26, 2015, we are thrilled to be hosting our second annual Save Your Photos Day event with Rely Local. Come to our Open House . . .

Hear about the importance of saving your memories for future generations
Visit different stations to see how Pixologie saves old photos and media
Learn more about how to organize and save your photos
Check out Rely Local who will be there also with a very fun guest!
Get 50 FREE photos scanned – bring in your photos (8×10 or smaller, flat and no copyrighted portraits) for free scanning.

RSVP on Facebook, by calling 414-731-1881 or email us at contact@pixologieinc.com

Working with a local photo organizer provides much reassurance to families who want to digitize their pictures so they can share the memories with other members in their families. We handle your treasured photos and materials with care and expertise, most of the work is completed right in our studio, so you know your memories are safe. With a local option available, there is no reason to be overwhelmed by a photos mess!

Research suggests that the sheer volume and lack of organization of digital photos for personal memories discourages many people from accessing and reminiscing about them. (Linda Henkel, Psychological Scientist)

Rely Local is helping us to spread the word – they know that supporting local businesses helps stimulate our area’s economy especially in their focus area of city of Oak Creek and counties of Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin – and creates a stable and vibrant community. We are grateful for their help in promoting our event.

Not in Southeastern Wisconsin? There may be a Save Your Photos Day event near you. Click here to learn more about the Save Your Photos Alliance and other locations of SYPD events.

Want to know about our other Pixologie Locations? Click here.

Check out our website!

Learn about the Photo Organizing Field!

Visit Rely Local!

It’s Our Very First Press Conference – September 7

Posted on September 2, 2015 by pixologie

Your Help Is Needed in Spreading the Word to Find Allis-Chalmers Friends and Former Employees! Know someone in the media? Share this press release below!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – (Milwaukee, WI)

Pixologie is helping the Charles Allis Art Museum save photos and stories of the Allis Family and their impact in Milwaukee. We are holding a press conference to help spread the word!

Milwaukee’s history was greatly impacted by the Charles Allis family in the 1900s through the 1980s. Many of the people who worked at Allis Chalmers or who visited the Charles Allis Art Museum have photos and stories from those years and the Charles Allis Art Museum wants to preserve those stories at our special event “Through the Years With Charles Allis” on September 12.

Press Conference Date: Monday, September 7, 10 am

Where: Charles Allis Art Museum – 1801 N. Prospect Avenue, Milwaukee, WI

Who Will Be There

John Sterr, Executive Director, Charles Allis Art Museum
Carol Lemanczyk, Daughter of Two Allis-Chalmer retirees (see photo) with her parent’s story
Mollie Bartelt and Ann Matuszak – Photo organization and archiving experts, Pixologie

What: Charles Allis Art Museum is Hosting “Through the Years” on September 12 to save the photos of both the art museum and Allis Chalmers Company. Attendees are to bring their own personal photos they may have of the art museum and the company. These photos will be scanned and returned while the digital copy will be put into a historical archive so that future generations may know the impact the Allis family has had in Milwaukee.

Why: September is the month of “International Save Your Photos Day” and local business Pixologie has partnered with Charles Allis Museum to highlight the importance of photos in celebrating the history of our community as well as the importance of preserving photos now, before elements and time erase those stories forever.

Click here for more details about Through the Years With Charles Allis Event!

Contact: Mollie Bartelt

cell phone: 414-899-4221

email: mollieb@pixologieinc.com

Two-for-One Super Slide Challenge

Posted on August 29, 2015 by pixologie

Got slides you need to transfer yet? Hopefully, they are the traditional 35mm slides which are the least expensive to digitize. We thought you’d be interested in seeing two of the more time consuming types of slides we have come across. And in the photo above, it is a two for one challenge!

Anyone remember having an Argus Slide Projector? Not your grandpa’s Kodak Carousel by far. The above photo shows a magazine of slides for the Argus Slide Projector and a sample slide in the metal frame used to feed the slide projector. Well, the projector is long gone, but the slides remain in the pesky metal frames in the magazine.

Next – note the slide in the metal frame, that is not a typical 35mm slide. It is a Super Slide 127 and requires a professional grade scanner. While the size is the same as a 35mm slide, the photo takes up most of the slide and most 35mm slide scanners will cut off portions of the image.

When we have clients bring us this type of slide, we have to account for the time it takes to remove the slides from the magazine and metal frames and return after scanning (if the client chooses to have them put back – but please don’t ask for that!)

If you have these types of slide (Super Slide or encased in the frame), the cost can be three to four times that of scanning a typical 35mm slide.

Please let us know if you have any questions on types of slides – we’d be glad to help!

Our Pixologie Locations

Email – contact@pixologieinc.com

Feel the Memories Coming Back . . .

Posted on August 21, 2015 by pixologie

And Grab a Kleenex!

We had two of our clients cry this week . . . the emotions of really looking back at their photos caused tears to well up and overflow. Kleenex anyone?

I can empathize . . . See the photo up above – that’s me, my dad, sister, mom and Grandma along with the family dog – Duchess. I honestly don’t even remember this day but we were having some fun! To see us all from over thirty years ago, young, alive together makes me want to grab my own kleenex and blow my nose.

Amazing the power of looking back. Here’s the low down on the client tears this week:

a 70 something grandma watching a digitized 8mm film from 1962 – when she saw her dad walking her two-year-old on the computer screen, she put her hand to her mouth, sucked in her breath and her eyes glistened. Long, long gone memories instantly bringing about feelings and emotion.
a 30s mom with her two little children in the studio – scanning photos for a project for her husband’s 40th birthday and then editing them for a Pinterest project. . . just saying “he’s not going to believe I did this” and she teared up as she looked at the memories in their photos.

What photos bring tears to your eyes? It’s natural to have these feelings, after all, photos connect generations and celebrate life. When you haven’t seen those memories in years, sometimes, decades, the photos can have a powerful effect on you. Don’t let a mess of photos stop you from looking back. We would be happy to help get you a starting point for your memories.

More of my own reminiscing – see the photo below – that’s my dad sending our lab down a slide. Thank goodness Duchess seems to make it down without flipping over the side!

Lastly, a couple more photos from the few taken that fall day in the park with our grandma. . . For many reasons, I’ll take those tissues again!

How Many Boating Photos Do You Have?

Posted on July 30, 2015 by pixologie

And When Is the Last Time You Looked at Them?

Growing up in Wisconsin with our dad an avid outdoorsmen, my sister and I were out on the lake many times in a boat. And I know there are photos of us in lots of different types of boats. The raft, canoe, the “deep V” boat, the paddleboat, the johnny boat and more.

When I met my husband in the early 90s, he introduced me to sailboat racing and my boating world expanded to catamarans, restored wooden sailboats, performance racing sleds and more.

Recently, while on vacation, my nine year old son went out on a kayak for the first time and he did it on his own. . . something I haven’t done. So proud of him!

I wouldn’t even be thinking about boating at all, except that I came across the photo of Alex in the kayak on Facebook. Looking back at that memory, I realized something is currently missing from my family’s crazy, hectic life.

A lifetime tradition of being out on the water has not been part of our summer experiences over the past few years. We’ve had a sailboat in our garage for this whole time too!!

When we don’t look back at photos of the things we’ve done, we are missing opportunities to reminisce together, renew enthusiasm for past, forgotten experiences and pass traditions on to our children.

Thankfully, we have a whole month nearly left of summer and I think its time we haul the boat out to the lake!

We’d love to see some of your boating memories . . . go ahead and post on our Facebook Page!

Need help scanning photos? We can help!

Visit our website at http://www.pixologieinc.com

Call us at 414-731-1881

Photos, Life and Kids . . .

Posted on May 15, 2015 by pixologie

Okay, this might be a little nostalgic for a Friday, so fair warning. . .

This photo of Alex really is on my mind today . . . I took it several weeks ago at our Just Add Kids Expo where many, many vendors offered information, games and activities for stopping by at their booth. The annual JAK Expo, actually is my son’s favorite, non holiday, event of the year – he loves, loves going. . . And being involved with it is a family tradition now.

In the photo, Alex is standing next to a simple poster entitled the “Tree of Life” and all the children who walked by were able to pick a stamp color and put their thumbprint leaf on the tree. The booth we were at was Racine’s Wilson Funeral Home and owner Chris Chvilicek visited with us while we were there. Having a conversation about that tree was interesting with Alex and Chris . . . and I loved watching Alex pick the color (which was a process of hemming and hawing!) and then adding his print to the tree.

What an amazing way for a funeral home to connect with families when so often their work comes at the end of a person’s life.

If you’ve read our blogs before, then you know how much we think photos matter in celebrating life. From photos like the one of Alex above, to the many others we collect over the years, each one tells a story.

Let us know if you need help with your photo collection!

Pixologie, helping get photos out of chaos and back into life to be celebrated and shared.

www.pixologieinc.com

Like us on Facebook

Three Reasons Why You Should Make a Photo Slideshow

Posted on May 12, 2015 by pixologie

Here’s mine from Mother’s Day . . .Okay, now if you’ve watched the simple two minute video above, you have seen me, my sister, my dad and my mom in all our glory in our younger years! Well, we’ve had some rather dramatic changes in the thirty years since our childhood photos. (Let’s just say, I’m so not that thin anymore, and my sister who was thin, gained weight and now is thin again!)

Every family celebrates their moments in their own way. For my mom, just watching the video was all she could do, commenting upon the photos that played.

Photo slideshows are relatively easy today, especially if you simply use the digital photos you already have. Here’s three reasons why you should make a photo slideshow.

You CAN do it yourself with a computer or smartphone – and the simple software is either free or inexpensive. (PC – Photo Gallery, Windows MovieMaker; Mac – Photos, iPhoto; Smartphones – search the App Store – there are lots of choices.)
You ARE taking time to reminisce about the good times with your family and friends. We are so busy in the moment these days, sometimes we forget to celebrate days gone by . . . and those who are no longer with us. Yes, for some of us, kleenix is definitely recommended. When you add some music to the photo flow, its easy to become emotional.
You DO see the world runs differently today than it did years ago. If we don’t reflect back on the years we grew up, where we experienced our family’s traditions and a society that seemed to get along better – it’s going to fade away. Who knows what our children’s children will have to look back at?
BONUS Reason – other people enjoy watching your photo slideshows which can be shared in a whole number of places!

Using Photos amazing slideshow feature, the video I made above, took me about fifteen minutes. (Yes, I waited til the last minute to put it together before going to my parent’s on Sunday!) Here’s our Challenge because we know you can do it too. Make a photo slideshow and post it to our Facebook update for this blog. We may use it in a future post!

Connect on Facebook

Find us at www.pixologieinc.com

Email: contact@pixologieinc.com

Phone: 414-731-1881

Three Fun Photo Ideas on a Family Road Trip

Posted on April 9, 2015 by pixologie

Pixologie is on the road this week . . . traveling down to Florida where the Association of Personal Photo Organizers is having their national conference. Ann flew while Rosie and I drove the 18+ hours down to Orlando. I love road trips . . . and will jump at the chance to hit the open road.

One of the road trips I went on was with my friend and our two 10 year old daughters . . . we drove for a week from Wisconsin all the way around the East Coast – with the goal of seeing twenty states and two provinces. Ask me to see the scrapbook sometime, 3300 miles in seven days . . . it was an unbelievable adventure (name the landmark, we most probably were there!)

There are three things that I love having photos of when I’ve been on a road trip.

ONE – Sleeping child – the stressors goes with taking children on a road trip are many (food, bathroom stops, “are we there yet,” and on). But there is something special about looking back at my kid sleeping that tugs at my heart strings and brings some peace. Definitely take a photo of that moment if possible – you’ll know what matters when you look back at the memories of the trip.

TWO – Unusual rest stops. . . You may not be lucky enough to find a rest stop that has something unique about it, so if another decidedly “different” stop catches your eye, snap a photo. You’ll better remember the story that goes along with it. I really wouldn’t have remembered this bathroom we stopped at in West Virginia – but the two toilets reminded me of the gas station. Not only could you stock up on snacks, bait, guns, ammo, camo and much more, there was a stuffed version of every type of animal that could be hunted mounted around the store. (Kind of like Cabela’s but in a rural, tiny town in the hills way.)

THREE – Take a photo where it looks like your son or daughter is holding the monument. Okay, it does take some manuevering to position your child’s hands right where they should be, but the fun of driving your kids nuts with something might be worth it. You can see I got better one year to the next, thank goodness, my daughter is a great sport!

Those are my thoughts about some photos to take on a road trip. I wonder what photos you might have from those vacations you took with your family on the road. If you haven’t looked in awhile, it is time to pull the photos out of boxes and off of memory cards and computers – and enjoy the memories!

Need help with sorting and saving your photos? Let us know!