Suggestions For Compiling Photos For A Funeral Service

One of the best ways to adorn the funeral home when you're preparing for the service of a loved one is with photos of him or her. There are several different ways that you can use photos at funeral services — you can have a portrait sitting on the table next to the guestbook as people arrive, you can have a slideshow-style presentation partway through the ceremony or playing in the background throughout, or you can make a traditional collage with copies of photos and have it on display. Compiling all of the photos for the funeral service can be a time-consuming process, so it's handy to ask for some help from family members. Here are some suggestions for getting the photos ready.

Get Submissions From Many Sources

Even if you're an immediate family member of the deceased person, photos of you and him or her together only tell part of the person's life story. If you're putting together photos for a collage or slideshow, family photos are important — however, it's also valuable to have photos of the person with friends, neighbors, and other people from his or her life. Get the word out however you can that you're looking for photo submissions. This will allow you to get images from several sources, which will help to tell the story of your loved one's life in a well-rounded way.

Ask For Copies, Not Originals

At an already busy time, you don't want to deal with photos dropped in your mailbox that you need to worry about returning to the rightful owners after you've used them. Specify that you only will accept copies of photos. Ideally, people will scan their photos and submit them to you electronically. This way, you can either print them for a collage or simply add them to your digital slideshow. If you can't get electronic copies from certain people, make sure that whatever they give you is a copy and that they know it won't be returned to them.

Be Sensitive About The Content

Ideally, people will only submit appropriate photos to you. However, photos that might not suit the occasion may potentially slip into the submission pile, so you'll want to be careful about the content of each photo you use. For example, a photo of a person with his or her ex-spouse might seem innocent enough, but if this image would upset the person's widow or widower, it's better to not use the photo. If you have any questions about the characters in any of the photos, make sure that you confirm who they are.


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