Your Most Important Job: Curating Your Life's Photos

When I recently celebrated my 60th birthday, my family went all out with the party planning.

Not being a fan of surprises, I created the master plan and we largely agreed on all the elements, but the one thing I'd never wanted and eventually put my foot down on was the photo slideshow.

With a recent career change from TV producer to funeral director, a photo tribute has taken on a whole new perspective. But for a moment, I went along with it. My husband James asked for access to my pho

tos and I went to work on my album. When I got to 451, I knew I was in trouble.

You see, I'm often asked, how many photos does it take to tell a life story? While there are no fixed rules, it ends up being about time. Each photo needs 3-4 seconds to register in a slide show, that means 15 photos per minute.  Put to music, each song is about 3.30 (unless you choose Macarthur Park or American Pie) which makes about 52.  The sweet spot is generally 2 songs which means about 100 photos per life. At 60, that means I get less than two photos each year.  In some ways lucky for me that I was not born in the digital age, but still.

A sample

But where to begin getting things in order? During the bushfire evacuations in 2019, I sat glued to the rolling coverage and created order by filing all of my analogue family photos. Over the years, I've attempted to do the same with my digital photos and videos to reflect periods of time, people and interests.

My advice? Always start at the beginning. Fewer to choose from, and there are no new entries. Those early childhood photos are likely one of the few times in life you'll be happy to be photographed in swimmers. So lock those ones in. 

Now, all decades are not created equal and neither should your photo selection.  The best piece of advice I can give you is skip the teens. It's five years of awkwardness that doesn't need to be immortalized. No one's going to miss them. Lean into the sweet spot between 25 and 45, when it's likely that most people will have a career, a first marriage, some lovely kids and milestone memories.

Choose the photos that tell a story. Use the power of three. One photo might not tell the whole story, but three in a row can create a legend. "Oh, she loved being on the stage." "What an adventurer." You get to choose. 

Travel photos will always feature in a slideshow. But if you've been lucky enough to visit somewhere special multiple times, just choose your best shot.

Skip anything that doesn't serve your story. Those questionable fashion choices? The unflattering angles? Let them go. When it comes to group photos, choose the ones where you look good - your friends might disagree, but it's the ultimate “all about you” moment. 

If I left it up to anyone else, my life slideshow might be weighted with photos from my 35 years in television. But I get to choose, and it's the moments from my tree change that I want to be most remembered for. That impromptu celebration of my first homegrown harvest means more to me than any industry awards.

Channel your inner Marie Kondo. If a photo doesn't spark joy or tell your story, move it to the trash. Let the ugly ones go and make room for the new. As life brings new chapters and adventures, become ruthless. Review often. Like wardrobe advice: one in, one out. Pick your hero shot - the one photo you want to be remembered by. And make every one of those hundred or so images tell the story.

Your story of a life well lived.