2010

Recently, a television news magazine devoted time to the phenomenon of people who remember in detail every moment of every day of their lengthening lives.* The gaggle of medical researchers, psychological probers, and curiosity seekers circling around these woebegone souls was enough to make me thankful, perhaps for the first time, that there are some things I can forget. But I am more thankful for the things I remember, and for the honor we are able to grant others and ourselves when we remember, if only for a time, what we have been through, alone and together.

We were given this year, finally, the full autobiography of the great Mark Twain. Is it possible for someone so well-known and so thoroughly woven into the fabric of our culture to be underappreciated? Reading this book makes me think so. I recall that Twain was the one who framed the inarguable truth, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” And this is why, on this morning of this waning year, it is apt that we reflect on what we have seen and what it might mean.

We had a wonderful finish to the year with all of our Christmas orders that came in. With that in mind we wanted to share a few thoughts from a customer reflecting on their experience with our company and product. We are truly thankful for our customers, especially when we receive feedback like this! Enjoy.

I recieved the photo yesterday. The frame is very nice and the picture looks great. Even for being over 40 years old, you can still make out some of the details. There is a Moline combine parked in the barn that I did not see when we previewed the picture. My dad has spoke about having that combine when he was young but we never had any pictures of it. I think the purchase process went well and is easy. I enjoyed being able to preview the picture and seeing some of the neighbors farms as we flipped through to find ours. I am excited to give it to my parents for Christmas. I would definitely recommend this to my friends and family. Thanks, -Brad Johnson

(To read the story & see the photo go to our Featured Stories Page. )

Take a look at the new Twitter account, @VintageStories. Follow this account to be updated as new customers leave their family memories on our site! (For other ways to find us on the web check out our Facebook & Twitter pages.)

Here at VA we are all about listening to stories and telling ours. Recently we saw the campaign Starbucks was running as part of their holiday promotion this year. If you visit their themed website you have a chance to create and share a holiday wish or story.

We know that feeling of a great story shared between family and friends very well. In the case of Starbucks, a cup of coffee and a friend create a great environment for story sharing.

This past week we found an exciting article in the Thanksgiving Weekend issue of Parade Magazine. Parade ran a nice article about a project called “Flat Daddies” that prints posters of parents who are actively serving overseas in the military. We were so thrilled to see the covereage for Flat Daddies. While we like to brag about their mission, we also love their methods.

Check out our Holiday Promotion! Click “Discover your photos” above to get started!

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Thanks to WTOL 11 for this wonderful news story. Each news outlet highlights another great facet of our company and we are grateful for the coverage.

We recently had a visit from Lou Hebert from NBC 24. He did a story about Vintage Aerial for his “Story Time” segment. We loved having him in the office and are thankful for the opportunity to tell our story.

To watch the story go here: Toledo on the Move

As we talk to people about our photos we get all sorts of questions. One common misconception about our photos is that they are satellite images found on Google or elsewhere. While this is an understandable confusion it gives an opportunity to talk about one of the most interesting aspects of our history. So, what greater way to answer than with a picture?

This is a picture of a plane that would have been used to capture the millions and millions of pictures we have at Vintage Aerial. (more below)

Here at Vintage Aerial we are constantly hearing stories of many people from rural America. As our company grows more and more people are sharing their stories through conversations and on our website. Every time a customer has a chance to see their photo you can almost feel the wave of emotions and memories that come to mind and form their story. (more below)

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Country music phenomenon Miranda Lambert recently broke the all-time record with 9 nominations in the upcoming Country Music Awards scheduled for November. Among all of her well appreciated musical accomplishments there is one song that justifiably stands out. The House That Built Me is a tale of personal trials and ultimate triumphs. It touches and inspires every listener when she sings about the house where she and her family endured particularly hard times. Recalling that house and those times is an act of both love and courage. And she no doubt pictures it as she sings. While everyone’s story is, of course, unique, the idea of actually picturing the house of our early years is common to us all. Personal, meaningful and powerful. We know that here at Vintage Aerial. We have been saving and restoring over 25 million photographs of family farms and homesteads taken all over the country over the last half of the century starting in the early 60s. Very few of us can sing for millions of people but when we see our own picture we can all feel for ourselves.

Vintage Aerial recently had an excellent article recently written by Don Nelson of the Athens Banner-Herald. He did a great job interviewing and reporting from a customers vantage point the value our archive brings to people. Here is a quote from a customer he interviewed in the article:

Digital archive provides access to millions of rural photos

We are aware many visitors expect to see photos immediately on our site, but up to now, we haven’t been able to create the right set of tools to explore the collection. The sheer size and analog format of the collection present unique challenges, but strides in digital imaging technology, data storage, GIS (geographic information systems), and tools we’ve been developing have made it possible to simply enter an address and quickly find a single photo from perhaps 50 years ago….(continued below)

Here is a nice article written about us, Vintage Aerial Connect People, Farms

….Vintage Aerial is at the center of this emerging trend, connecting with companies who have large online networking and history search presences, such as Ancestry. com, Facebook, and Historic Map Works. These connections will allow consumers to produce full rounded personal histories, the names, the dates, the relatives who moved away, and the pictures of where it all began….

Our own Ken Krieg and Jon Richardson shared with WLIO and Lima, OH Vintage Aerial’s unique photo archive of rural America’s past this morning on First Edition.

The stories that come out of these pictures are amazing to read. They are simply tiny pieces a larger story; the story of a lifetime. If we’ve learned anything from reading them, its that each picture has immeasurable value and significance. Here is an example of how each picture has a way of “coming alive.”

Vintage Aerial hits a digital storage milestone: We now store more than the text of the Library of Congress, and we are just getting started!

We were pleased to find a good conversation about Vintage Aerial in the user forums at Red Power magazine today.

See what our customers are saying there:

Today wasn’t your average day in the film vault.

Minnesota Public Radio’s online news source wrote a pretty cool article on one of their blogs about us! It was especially exciting to see some discussion going around regarding our featured photos!

In January, we officially opened our doors as Vintage Aerial. Since then, we’ve been working hard to fulfill the vision of helping people preserve their family history through our collection of over 25 million aerial photos of rural America.

“Over 25 million pictures” has become one of those phrases that we say frequently here at Vintage Aerial. However, it might not mean much to anyone unless they’ve seen our library. Having over 700,000 rolls of film all stored in a secured, climate-controlled location is a bigger undertaking than one might expect. Here are a few photos that hardly scratch the surface of how our film is stored.