Photo story prompts
Questions to ask about photos with grandparents
A photo in the hand works better than an open question. "Tell me about your childhood" gets a shrug; a picture of a street, a uniform or a kitchen gets a story. Let your grandparent choose the photo, then ask.
Who
- Who are you standing with here?
- What did you call each other? Any nicknames?
- Who in this photo did you stay close to?
- Which of these people would I have liked most?
Where and when
- Where were you living when this was taken?
- How old were you here?
- What was just outside the frame?
- How did you get there that day?
Why it mattered
- What were you hoping for at that age?
- What were you worried about that never happened?
- What do you remember about the clothes you are wearing?
- What would you tell the person in this photo?
One tip
Record the conversation on a phone as well as writing notes, and ask first. The voice telling the story becomes as valuable as the story.
Common questions
How do I get a grandparent to talk about old photos?
Bring a few prints, hand over one and ask a small, concrete question such as "who is standing next to you?". Small questions lead to long answers more reliably than big ones.
How many photos should we go through in one visit?
Five to ten is plenty. Stop while it is still enjoyable and come back another day; tired answers are short answers.
More prompt sets
Old family photos
For the box of prints where half the faces have no name.
12 questions
Wedding photos
The names and small disasters the album does not record.
12 questions
Baby's first year
A few words per photo, written while you still remember.
12 questions
A childhood home
Rooms, neighbours and routines, before the house is sold.
12 questions
One photo. Three answers. Two minutes.
Start with the print you would save from a fire. No account, nothing uploaded.