We’ve come a long way in 95 years
With the 2021 Census coinciding with Cull’s 95 year, we have been reflecting on how far the Cull family business has come. From a professional photography business in 1926 to digital scanning and document management solutions today, producing high-quality images remains the heart of what we do. Despite the dramatic changes over our 95 years, the ethos of Cull has remained strong. Our family-led values, customer-focused approach and high standards remain as important today as they were in 1926.
A brief history of Cull
Are you part of our journey?
The first lockdown provided the perfect time to reminisce. The nostalgia of returning to old memories, places and possessions provided safety for many in an unnerving time. One of our employees, Olivia Buckley, used this time to immerse herself in her own family history and was surprised by what she found. Over the spring, she and her sister retrieved old family photographs from the loft and with the help of various records, websites and family photographs, traced back her family tree to 1860.
“The photographs were so important to us – not only were we able to put faces to the names which brought it all to life, but we felt a real connection with our ancestors through the photographs” said Olivia.
When looking at the wedding photographs of a newly married couple, Olivia’s Great Grandparents, which dated back to 1944, she noticed the stamp on the back was that of William Cull Photography.
“I have worked at Cull since 2017, I knew that they started as a photographer in Birkenhead, but I didn’t know they photographed my Great Grandma’s wedding! The fact that the images are from 1944 and I now work there, it feels as though the relationship with Cull has come full circle in my family. It’s a small world!” Olivia Buckley
Keeping the past in the present
As time passes, old photos can fade and degrade. Digital preservation is the best way of making sure that future generations can access imagery and family history easily all in one place. Cull has recently helped a number of families digitise their precious family photos and albums ensuring the quality doesn’t fade and they can be kept safe and secure.
How to keep your memories safe
- Digitise. Cull’s safe and simple process will ensure you and your family can always access old family photographs.
- Create two backup files and give one away. We recommend using cloud hosting to keep your files safe online. However, many people like to keep their digital files on physical hard drives. If this is you, we recommend you put your archive on both an external hard drive and a flash drive. Then store the backup files far apart. Give a copy to a friend or put it in a safe place. That way, if something bad happens to your house — like a flood or fire — your files are safe.
- Actively manage your archives. It’s a good idea to frequently update your copies with new photos and make a copy of your collection to new storage media every five years.
Do you have old family photographs that you want to keep safe and unspoilt?
Speak to a member of the Cull team today to talk about digital scanning.