What should I do with piles of old photos?

Martin Adlington makes jewellery from recyclables and has found plenty of discarded family photos on his scavenger hunts around Auckland.

The 74-year-old, whose father was a photographer, says it pains him to see these snapshots being thrown away.

"I hate to see that sort of waste, because that's people's memories, and it's also a very strong cultural history that's being tossed out."

Simplify My Home director Hannah Stickland says it's common to find people clinging on to old photos that hold emotional weight, especially if they’re of people who have died.

"People often feel torn between wanting to honour their memories and not wanting to drown in clutter.

"Many of our clients have got boxes and boxes and entire cupboards filled with these, and they're typically just in a big plastic kind of box ... so you wouldn't even be able to find what you’re looking for."

Start with understanding intention - the Marie Kondo way, Stickland advises. Sort them into piles that spark joy, a memory or tell a story and ones that don't.

"People often are holding on to duplicates as well, blurry photo shots and scenery maybe they don't recognise … or photos that bring up negative emotions, and those ones can go [in the bin] if the client wants to let go of those."

The goal is to make a "highlight reel" of the special chapters of your life, she says.

"Guilt is very common and we always remind people that letting go doesn't mean you're erasing the history of somebody, just choosing which parts you want to carry forward and pass down."

Wellington photographer Adrian Heke thinks even the candid, everyday moments have value.

For example, the house you grew up in which had your parents' unique touch. "Those are the ones where in 20 years' time that you'll look back on that and think, 'oh, wow, yes'."

The photos don't have to be epic to have a story, he says. There's one of him standing on the runway, which looks like it's straight out of a Wes Anderson movie, he says. But it's the big afro, homemade jumper and "wonky looking shoes" that stick out.

Portraits of elders are taonga for your whānau – they connect to your tīpuna and whakapapa, he says.

Adlington suggests thinking about what the grandchildren would find interesting – the way technology, fashion and landscape has changed and will change.

And if you've got old photos passed down, it's worth digging into their story. You could use tools like Google image search or digitised archives to learn more and know their worth, he says.

Photos also have the power to spark unexpected conversations. Adlington's display of pictures of the old Karangahape Road Las Vegas Club gets locals and former workers swapping wild stories. And aerial shots of local areas have brought childhood friends together.

"I thought, oh geez, I've never had so much fun out of just one photograph."

Other than digitising or restoring photos, you could also print them on your favourite T-shirt, cushion, quilt or a canvas, Adlington suggests.

When you're archiving, divide pictures according to people or timeframes, Stickland says.

Creating professional books can also be a stylish way to display them. Or organise them in suspended file boxes.

Auckland Museum’s collection care team has a few tips on handling:

Usually, photographs can't go into recycling because of the chemical coating, Stickland says. But other than landfill, you can turn them into craft projects or journals.

Adlington, who used to volunteer at Auckland Museum's photography department, says lots of museums, even smaller ones dedicated to sports, transport or naval history, love photo collections. Council libraries sometimes take them too.

But if you're binning them, don't think no one will find them, he warns.

"One of the worst cases of disrespect I've seen was someone selling photographs at the market that had obviously been ripped out of a photo album, and they were from a returned service person who'd been in Egypt."

There are also cultural considerations to make when disposing of photos.

Heke says if a Māori elder dies, a publication might withdraw that person's photos from their database out of respect. But some whānau are happy for the pictures to continue to be used if it serves a kaupapa.

"For example, a kaumātua passed away who was in a prostate photoshoot, but the whānau wanted him to be remembered as a good role model and encourage other Māori to send in their samples, he could save lives, the photos kept being used."