Organizing a lifetime of memories

Amy Vaughn prepares to scan photos in her home office. (RECORD PHOTO/ALDO AMATO)

By Aldo Amato

Staff Reporter

MADISON — The old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” could be the rally cry behind the Twitter, Instagram and Facebook generation where pictures are posted by the thousands every second.

Amazingly, some pictures may be lost in the shuffle and eventually, lost for good. One Madison resident is trying to prevent that.

Amy Vaughn with AV Reflections just opened for business from her home off of County Line Road in Madison. Vaughn, a native of Virginia, said her business will help the entire community, especially those new to Madison.

“This is a wonderful community and one mixed with people from all over the country,” Vaughn said. “When my husband and I came here, we wanted to keep all of our photos in one safe place especially with the Alabama heat.”

Vaughn said she got the idea from putting an album together for their family dentist and from there; it blossomed into a full-fledged business.

However a business is the last thing she views it as.

“I love doing this because it brings families closer together,” Vaughn said. “Studies have shown that children who are close to their family do better academically, socially and just as a whole.”

The process of scanning photos and putting them together in a high-resolution album takes around an hour and prices range from $14 to $200 depending on the services requested.

“If anyone ever needs me to come out to there home and scan photos, I am more than available,” she said. “It gives my clients the opportunity to make changes within the privacy of their home and help out in the process.”

Vaughn is a member of the Association of Personal Photo Organizers (APPO) and the only one representing Alabama.

“I chose this because it is a real service to people and I really want to be in the community,” she said. “I want people to know that it is so important to pass your story along to other people.”