Projects / Private Project

Family Archives

Pictures, videos, and little pieces of life. A private place for my family to search our history and keep the stories behind it close.

Why it matters

A photo holds a moment. The story behind it tells us who was there, what life was like, and why we still remember it. I want to keep those pieces together so my family can revisit our history and pass it on.

Our history stays with our family.

I can share what I am building and how it works, but our family photos, videos, and recordings will stay private. The finished archive is intended for family members to download and use, with no public internet access to the collection.

What it will do

The plan is a lightweight app that makes a growing collection of photos, videos, and stories easier to find and enjoy together.

An example of a future search

“Show me a picture of [person] from their senior year.”

Planned functionality · The archive is still being built.

Search in your own words

Find a person, a time in their life, or a moment without digging through every folder. The goal is to make family history easy to explore.

Keep the story attached

Some photos and recordings will have audio or video logs alongside them, preserving the voices and stories that give a memory its meaning.

Let a memory find you

An optional random memory feature will pull something from the archive when you feel like revisiting the past without a particular search in mind.

Tools to bring it together

This project starts with the physical collection. These are the pieces needed to preserve it and build the app; specific equipment and software choices are still taking shape.

Photo digitizing equipment

Equipment to scan or photograph physical pictures and bring them into the archive. Still to be acquired.

VHS playback & capture

Playback equipment and a way to capture VHS footage as digital files. Still to be acquired.

Tape repair skills & supplies

Some tapes need attention before they can be captured. Learning how to repair them is part of the work ahead.

A lightweight archive app

Downloadable software for the family to search and revisit the collection privately. The software stack is still to be decided.

Where things stand

This is still an early-stage project. I do not yet have the physical equipment to digitize the photos or capture the VHS footage, and I have some tape repair to learn along the way. There is no expected completion date.

Private memories. Tools to share.

When the time comes, I plan to make the tools available to the public and share how to build something similar. The family collection itself will remain private.

Accessibility Settings

Reading & Focus