How to Photograph Handwritten Recipe Cards So They Last
A handwritten recipe card is one of a kind. The ink fades, the paper stains, and sooner or later the card gets lost or damaged. A good photo takes a minute and keeps the card safe, including the handwriting you would never want to lose.
You do not need a scanner. A phone is enough if you follow a few simple habits.
Use daylight, not a flash
Place the card near a window in the daytime, out of direct sun. Soft daylight shows the writing clearly. A flash creates a bright glare on glossy cards and makes stains look worse. If you must use a lamp, put it to the side, not directly overhead.
Lay it flat and shoot straight down
Put the card on a plain, flat surface, like a table or a sheet of white paper. Hold your phone directly above it, parallel to the card, so the edges look square. Photos taken at an angle stretch the writing and are harder to read later.
If the card curls, rest a clean sheet of glass or a book on the corners while you take the picture, and take it away afterward.
Fill the frame, and hold still
Move close enough that the card fills most of the picture, but keep all four edges in view. Tap the screen on the writing so the phone focuses there, and keep your arms steady. If your hands shake, rest your elbows on the table or use the phone's timer.
Take the back too
Many cards have notes on the back: a second page, a date, a change someone made later. Photograph both sides of every card, even when the back looks empty. The extra picture costs nothing.
Check the photo before you move on
Zoom in on the picture and make sure you can read every word. It is much easier to retake it now than to find out months later that a quantity is blurred. When the original is hard to read, take a second photo from slightly closer.
Name the files so you can find them
A folder full of files called IMG_4821 is hard to use. Rename each photo with the dish and the cook, for example "Grandma-Rose-apple-pie-front". Add "back" to the second picture. A few seconds now saves a lot of searching later.
Keep copies in two places
A single photo on a single phone is not a safe backup. Keep copies in at least two places, such as your phone and a cloud account or an external drive. Share the photos with a relative as well. The more people who hold a copy, the safer the recipe is.
Keep the original card, too
A photo is a copy, not a replacement. Hold on to the original card if you can. Many archivists suggest storing paper in acid-free sleeves or folders, away from heat, light and damp, and they generally advise against laminating family papers. For anything very old or valuable, ask a local library or archive for advice.
Type it up as well
A photo preserves the handwriting, but it is not always the easiest thing to cook from, especially in a busy kitchen with a spoon in your hand. Type out the ingredients and steps, and keep the photo next to the typed version. Then you have both the original and a version you can actually use.
Where Distant Kitchens fits
In Distant Kitchens you can upload the photo of a handwritten card and type or paste the recipe beside it, so the original and the cooking version stay together. You can also add the story of who made it. Everyone you invite to your family cookbook can see and add to it. Our post on how to collect your family's recipes covers the bigger picture.