Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy McFarland.
Nancy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I turned my passion for preserving photos and family stories into a business 20 years ago during the infancy stage of the scrapbooking boom. I helped hundreds of clients turn their shoe boxes of printed photos into meaningful heirloom albums. When digital cameras took the place of film cameras, the computer became the virtual shoebox for most of my clients’ photo collections. As their digital photos rapidly multiplied, so did their frustration and confusion on how best to enjoy and share their stories and memories. Fast forward to now, with our digital photos on multiple phones, hard drives, social media & cloud storage sites as well as the boxes of heritage printed photos still collecting dust in photos, just the thought of tackling a photo organizing project can be paralyzing! I love the challenge of turning photo chaos into an organized photo collection that can be easily accessed to enjoy, share and preserve!
Has it been a smooth road?
Most people have organizing their photos on their list of to-do projects “someday”. Although we cherish our photos and the memories that go with them, this project gets placed low on the priority list because it can be a daunting task. It is difficult to know where to even begin! It often takes a natural disaster like the recent fires and floods or the death of a loved one for people to realize “someday” may be too late.
It is also a challenge keeping up with rapidly changing technology. I still have clients that find old photos on floppy disks and precious videos on VHS with no way to even view them! Decades of memories are on slides as well, all waiting to be digitized and rediscovered. Helping a client break down a media collection that needs digitizing into manageable pieces helps us overcome technology overload!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We organize, digitize and preserve family photos and the memories that go with them.
Our services include-
Printed and Digital Photo Organizing
Photo and Slide Scanning
Oversized Photo and Album
Slide Show Presentations
Custom Photo Album Design
Unique Photo Gifts
Educational Presentations on Photo Organizing
I have over 20 years’ experience and have a talent for being a photo detective. I have organized many family collections with over 10,000 photos by date and theme, culling out the doubles and duds. My goal is for my client to quickly & easily find any photo in their collection. Their photos are digitized and backed up so they can be enjoyed, shared and protected.
I named our company “SoCal Photo Solutions” because every project is different and will have its own unique solutions. In my initial consultation with a client, I find out how they envision enjoying their photos. Some people like having their favorite photos in a photo album. Some want to access them on their computers organized by date, by family member or by theme. A down-sizing senior may only have room for a photo box of their favorites neatly labeled to be easily located and enjoyed. A slide show for a milestone occasion may be a cherished gift. There are so many options and it is an important piece of what I do to help a client see what is possible.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Anyone interested in helping people organize their photos and becoming a pioneer in this new niche of professional organizing should look up the Association of Personal Photo Organizers (APPO). I am a founding member of this organization that offers on-going training, certification and access to a community of like-minded professionals.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.socalphotosolutions.com
- Phone: 818-427-6102
- Email: nancy@socalphotosolutions.com
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
