Keepsake Station – Catalyst Grant (Mass. Memories Road Show)

About this station

At the Keepsake Station, contributors may choose to have their photograph taken to document their participation in the event. The photograph also becomes part of the online collection and the contributor receives a complimentary copy. Your primary responsibility as a volunteer at the Keepsake Station is to help the contributor feel comfortable and to take a photograph of the contributor.To accomplish this, you will need to fill one of two roles: Photographer or Paperwork Manager. While these roles involve different activities, they are both essential for accurately documenting the photograph, printing out the photograph, and making this a memorable part of the overall experience for the contributor.

With this in mind, the goals for each role at the Keepsake Station are as follows:

Photographer

Capture a close-up of the contributor holding their photographs
Print the photograph that was captured
Complete end-of-day wrap-up

Paperwork Manager

Verify that the contributor is wearing their nametag
Write photo #, name, and ID # of the contributor on the Keepsake Photo Log
Complete end-of-day wrap-up

Supplies

Supplies needed at the Keepsake Station:

Backdrop. This can be a plain or neutral color or a banner, flag, or quilt related to the event theme or community.
Digital Camera
Camera memory cards (x2). Having two memory cards on hand allows the photographer to print photos and take photos at the same time.
Tripod. Some photographers are more comfortable using a tripod, while others prefer to hold the camera themselves..
Photo printer, ink cartridge, paper. For the purposes of this station, we recommend using a printer that is inexpensive, light-weight, and portable.
Keepsake Photo log
Bulletin board and easel, push-pins
Table (x1)
Chairs (x2)

How it works

Let’s take a closer look at how the Keepsake Station works!

Photographer

1. Capture a photograph

For the Mass. Memories Road Show program, we photograph contributors to document their participation in the event. We offer each contributor one complimentary photograph to take home. Your role is to help the contributor feel comfortable throughout the process and to take a photograph in a timely manner.

If you take more than one photograph of a contributor or if you make a mistake, it’s important that you do not delete the photograph from the memory card. This is managed by event staff after the event.

Contributor Greer Tan Swiston chose to have a Keepsake Photo taken with her parents. Shan-Ming Tan, Tsun-I Tan, and Greer Tan Swiston at the Chinese American Experiences Mass. Memories Road Show.

2. Print the photograph

Each contributor will receive one photo of themselves as a memento. You may print these photos one-by-one, or in batches. Sometimes, it’s helpful to take the Keepsake Photos as people are ready and wait to print photos in batches when there are fewer people around. One strategy is to invite contributors to visit other event Stations and return later to collect their photographs.

If the contributor is not at the station, pin their photo to the bulletin board so that they can pick it up later on.

3. Complete end of day wrap-up

At the end of the day, it is important to complete the wrap-up workflow. You must:

Copy the memory card to the laptop hard drive, and then onto an external hard drive. This should be done in collaboration with event staff.
Return external hard drive to event staff.

Paperwork Manager

1. Verify contributor nametag

It is important for each photographed contributor to wear their nametag in their photo. The ID # on the contributor’s ID allows their Keepsake Photo to be associated with their contributions in the online collection.

2. Record photo information

Each Keepsake Photo requires you to record several pieces of information about the contributor in the Keepsake Photo Log. This information offers context for each photo and allows researchers to associate Keepsake Photos with their corresponding contributions. After the contributor’s photo is taken, you may invite them to proceed to another station while waiting for their photo to be printed.

Each field of the Keepsake Photo Log is explained below:

Photo #

Note: This is the number of the photo in the order that it is taken on the camera , i.e. 1, 2, 3, etc.

Contributor ID #

Note: This is the number on the contributor’s nametag.

Contributor Name

Note: This is the name on the contributor’s nametag.

List the full names and ID #s of any other people in the photograph

Notes

Record information about the photograph that will help event staff match the digital photograph with the Keepsake Photo Log. For example, list what the contributor is holding by writing things like “holding 3 photos” or “holding large poster and newspaper clipping,” or describe the contributor’s appearance by writing things like “man with hat holding 1 photo.”