Photo story prompts
Questions to ask when remembering someone
After a death, families go through photos together, often for a service. It is also the moment when the most people who knew the person are in one room. These questions help you keep what is said. Take your time, and skip any that do not feel right.
Who
- Who is with them in this photo, and what were they to each other?
- Who knew them at this age and could say more?
- Who did they look after?
- Who made them laugh like this?
Where and when
- Where was this, and what was their life like then?
- How old were they here?
- Which place do you most associate with them?
- Where did they feel most at home?
Why it mattered
- What is this photo typical of?
- What did they always say?
- What did they teach you without meaning to?
- What story about them should not be lost?
One tip
At a gathering, put a few prints on a table with cards and pens. People write things they would not say aloud.
Common questions
How do I choose photos for a memorial?
Choose photos from each part of the life, not only the most recent, and ones that show the person doing what they usually did. Ask one person from each period to help you name people and places.
Is it too soon to write things down?
There is no correct time. Some people find it helps in the first weeks; others come back to it after months. Notes from a gathering can be kept and sorted later.
More prompt sets
Old family photos
For the box of prints where half the faces have no name.
12 questions
Photos with grandparents
Questions to ask a grandparent while they hold the photo.
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
One photo. Three answers. Two minutes.
Start with the print you would save from a fire. No account, nothing uploaded.