Posts Tagged ‘picture scanning’

Picture-Scanning Technology Helps Recall Past Olympic Torch Relays

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

This Year’s Relay Will Enlist 12,000 Torchbearers

106-Day Event To Involve More Than 1,030 Canadian Communities

olympicsEvery four years, the world becomes enthralled with pixies on ice and hipsters on snowboards. We watch and root for our own nation’s athletes, but also bask in the friendly, global vibe that is the Olympic spirit.

Before all of this happens, the torch must be lit. Although the 2010 Winter Olympics will be hosted by Vancouver, the flame itself was lit on October 22 in Olympia, Greece. The flame arrived in Victoria, British Columbia, via plane on October 30 and has been part of a 106-day relay ever since. (And thanks to picture-scanning technology, today’s fans can still relive the excitement and glory of previous Winter Games.)

The Olympic flame is typically carried by foot on land – as shown in this photo – but it also can travel by air and water. Traditionally, it starts in Olympia, where the Ancient Games were held. For the most part, the lighting of the flame is the same for Summer and Winter Games, and involves actresses serving as priestesses. For the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing and this year’s Winter Games in Vancouver, that actress is Maria Nafpliotou. She passed on the flame to Vassilis Dimitriadis, an Alpine skier and the Vancouver relay’s first torchbearer.

If air travel is required to transport the flame to its host site, the flame is protected in several lamps resembling a miner’s lamp. This year’s relay is scheduled to pass through more than 1,030 communities and will feature 12,000 torchbearers. The relay concludes on February 12 at the Opening Ceremony, but the flame will stay lit throughout the Games until the Closing Ceremony.

The Olympics date back long before digital cameras, but early Games can be experienced through an old picture. Scanning historical images allows a whole new generation of fans to appreciate the significance of the world coming together for this event, and how such a tradition came to be.

Tags: ,
Posted in Photo Scanning | 1 Comment »

Picture Scanning Old Holiday Images Can Revive Caroling Tradition

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Bring On The Holiday Cheer With Christmas Carols

Show Neighborhood Crooners Your Appreciation With Refreshments

christmas caroling2christmas carolingFew things can get you in the holiday spirit like jolly Christmas tunes – and there’s no better way to enjoy them than being serenaded by real, live carolers at your doorstep.

Now if only you could find real, live Christmas carolers. Caroling seems to be a dying art. These days, it might be easier to track down professional singers scheduled to go caroling at a bank, store or event. The old caroling photos that we see now – transferred to digital format for online sharing through picture scanning – are more likely to show these singers gathered on a front porch or strolling down a residential street.

It’s unclear why caroling is no longer as common as it once was. Caroling was initially unwelcome in this country by the Puritans during part of the 17th century. It wasn’t always perceived as innocent fun; prior to the 19th century, caroling was considered an unsavory act that had the potential to be uncivilized and even violent. But later that same century, the British changed the image of caroling and Christmas in general, transforming it into a family-friendly event.

That caroling is no longer a common occurrence during the holidays only makes it much more of a treat for both singers and listeners alike. Songs such as Silent Night are well-loved and well-known by children and adults. If you are lucky enough to live in a neighborhood that has a group of carolers, do offer them a round of refreshments and applause as a way of expressing thanks and appreciation. Christmas caroling is a fun activity that happens all over the world – even in war zones such as Afghanistan. In this photo, a U.S. Navy chaplain leads members of the military in singing on Christmas Eve.

Many of today’s carolers are professional singers who dress up in Victorian costumes and carry a tune for money. Businesses such as banks have taken to hiring them during the holidays to greet and entertain customers. They’re also a festive touch at parties. Of course, the most entertaining carolers may be your children at the annual school concert. You probably still have old photos of yourself doing the same; to preserve these images, send them to a picture scanning service like ScanDigital, which can retouch and revive all of those wonderful holiday memories.

Tags: ,
Posted in Photo Scanning | 2 Comments »

Picture Scanning Makes Halloween Memories Last Through Generations

Monday, October 12th, 2009

October Kicks Off The Busy Holiday Season With Halloween Fun

Trick-Or-Treaters Used To Ask For Money Or Food, Not Candy

halloween picture scanningThe month of October is a fun and busy time. Kids have settled into their back-to-school routines. Plans for Thanksgiving and December holidays – Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa – are being discussed. The annual rush of festive activities in the classroom and at home is just getting started.

First comes Halloween. It’s on the minds of many children who are looking forward to an afternoon of costume shopping or crafting, and a night of candy trolling. For parents, it’s an opportunity for memorable photographs and a reminder of their own experiences and decades-old photos that must be sent off to a picture scanning service to preserve. 

Yet how many kids – and adults – actually stop to think about the history behind Halloween? Our childhood memories of the Oct. 31st holiday likely involve school or community parades, such as this photo of children lined up as princesses, devils, witches, superheroes and cowboys. As kids, we would parade in front of each other, and teachers and parents, to show off our costumes. Dusk brought out the plastic pumpkin pails and trips around the neighborhood for candy.

Halloween, though, is much older than the children who enjoy it, dating back many, many generations. The holiday can be traced back 2,000 years to a Celtic festival called Samhain. The Celts considered November 1st the New Year, so they would celebrate the night before. They also believed that ghosts would appear on this night. When the Romans eventually took over most of the Celtic land, their holidays commemorating the dead and honoring the fruit and trees goddess began mingling with Samhain, leading to Halloween.

In the United States, Irish immigrants  popularized Halloween in the latter half of the nineteenth century. And what started as an act of asking for money or food is now the well-known and much-loved tradition of trick-or-treating for candy. Memories and customs such as these can be savored by preserving old photos through picture scanning – because who knows what Halloween traditions will be like in another 2,000 years?

Tags: ,
Posted in Photo Scanning | No Comments »

Picture Scanning Old Photos Is Great For Sharing Mt. Rushmore’s History

Monday, August 17th, 2009

The Story Of Mt. Rushmore Comes Alive Through Picture Scanning

Unique Monument To Presidents Attracts Millions of Visitors Annually

Mount_rushmore__1 8.17A visit to South Dakota wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Mount Rushmore.

It’s a majestic sight that captivates children and adults alike, a living history lesson enjoyed by all. Mount Rushmore is magnificent in person, but it’s even more impressive if you get to know the story behind it. Thanks to picture scanning technology, we have to ability to tell our children and students that story through compelling images as well.

The larger-than-life mountainside carvings of Presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt are the work of John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum. Born in 1867 in Idaho, Gutzon – as he was best known – trained as a lithographer’s assistant in California and later studied and worked in France, among other European countries. In the United States, he gained major recognition with a marble bust of Abraham Lincoln, followed by the head of Robert E. Lee and others on Stone Mountain in Georgia (though it no longer exists as he envisioned, but that story is for another time). In 1925, Gutzon started plans for the creation of Mount Rushmore. He died in 1941, so his son, James Lincoln Borglum, took over the final details.

Lincoln became the sculptor and first National Park superintendent at Mount Rushmore, but he had been involved in the project long before that. He had traveled with his father, Gutzon, on their first scouting trip of the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1924. A year later, Gutzon chose Mount Rushmore, named after New York City attorney Charles E. Rushmore, as the site of the monument.

Thanks to picture scanning, we have photographic records of both father and son, along with other key players who made this incredible, awe-inspiring sculpture possible. Doane Robinson recruited Gutzon to do the carving and John Boland raised significant funds. Congressman William Williamson and Senator Peter Norbeck also provided noteworthy support. Thanks to all of them, we have a unique landmark that nearly three million people visit each year.

Tags:
Posted in Photo Scanning | 9 Comments »