Shoebox Rescue

Save your photos to FamilySearch

GO BACK to the main Expedition Night page.

Remember: Any time you need help or resources, go to the FamilySearch center.

As you go about your adventures, remember to upload a few photos to the slideshow - we'll return to the church at 7:30 for ice cream sandwiches and to watch that slideshow!

1. Choose which photos to scan

   • You can't scan every photo - that just leads to the important pictures buried under a pile of digital junk.

   • You can use any selection criteria to choose which photos to scan, but I recommend that you choose photos that represent life events or highlight personalities.

     1. For life events, think of things like weddings, graduations, mission service, or holidays.

     2. For highlighting a personality, consider a shot that captures who someone was. Essentially, if it helps someone who never met them understand their life, it's worth scanning.

2. Clean the photos

   • Gently remove dust and debris.

   • Remove paper clips, staples, tape, etc.

   • You don't have to remove them from sheet protectors, but you'll get a better quality scan if you do.

3. Scan the pictures

   • The "how" here depends on your equipment.  

     1. There are a few phone options, but they change daily - and they depend on the quality of the lighting, your phone's camera, and the processor in your phone.

        • Upload them with the FamilySearch Memories app (with "My Memories" selected at the bottom, press the plus sign in the bottom right corner, then choose to use your phone's camera).

        • Want higher quality photos? If you've set up your free Ancestry.com account through the Church, you can use the Ancestry.com app.

     2. If you're at the FamilySearch center, use a flatbed scanner (people are waiting there to help you and the instructions are by each scanner).

4. Upload the picture to FamilySearch

   • Instructions. Note that you can scroll to the part of the instructions for the website or the app.

   • Note: If you used the FamilySearch Memories app in step 3, step 4 is already completed. Skip to step 5.

5. Tag the photos

   • "Tagging" the photo means to tie it to the pictured people in FamilySearch. That makes it easy to find, and easy for your descendants to see who was who.

   • Instructions to tag photos.