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Perspective: How to turn old photos into stories

provided by Lonny Cain

Ken Burns, the filmmaker known for his historical documentaries, is a master at using archival footage and photos.

He talks about filmmaking through an online educational link called Master Class.

His job, he said, is to awaken the dead and give them voice through diaries and old still photos.

Old photos speak volumes, he said, then offered this advice: view old photos as if they are moving. Imagine what was happening before ... and after the shutter clicks.

Study the background. Hear the voices and sounds that surround. Turn your photo into a story.

I tried this with an old print of my grandfather as a young man. He has reined in two mules pulling a small wagon.

I hear the large, wooden wheels creak to a stop, his voice commanding the mules to stay, a rattle of chain.

From his seat, he’s smiling at the photographer.

The mules are still but I hear the harness leather stretching. There’s an odor of dust and leather and mule.

The family story is that he drove a mail wagon while in the Army.

So I imagine a hearty exchange with the photographer. Then a quick hop down, the dirt on the street puffing up. He's in and out with the mail bags, tossed in the open back.

I can see the wagon lean and hear the wood bend as he pulls himself back on board. There's the command again, slap of reins and tug of harness as the mules pull away, dissolving my image.

A decade's old image, frozen in time ... until it’s not.

Lonny Cain, a graduate of the journalism program at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, has been in the newspaper business for more than 45 years. He and his wife have three sons. They live in Ottawa, where he was managing editor of the local daily newspaper for 30 years, retiring in December 2014. He continues to be a columnist for The Times in Ottawa and is pursuing other writing projects.