My father-in-law was a professional film editor. As you can imagine, his photos are excellent. He taught classes for many years, won contests, and gave travel talks at the libraries in the area.
My husband (also a semi-professional photographer) took all his film, slides and scans when he died, with the intent to sort it and find a home for things. Unfortunately, my husband passed away only a few years after his dad. I am left with an entire bedroom full of prints, slides, negatives and digitized media.
I’d like to do the right thing with it. My lovely FIL traveled the globe and shot images everywhere. However, I know that his pictures of Cambodia are probably like anyone else’s pictures.
Should I throw it all away? Are there stock photo houses that would like it? I’m not looking to make money (although I wouldn’t turn it down if offered). I’d just like to see his life’s work go somewhere. There is only one brother and he has no interest in any of it.
Advice?
A stock agency wouldn’t take them (probably) because of chain of title, i.e., establishing who actually owns the copyright. Did your late husband have any siblings, do you have any kids, and what state did all of this happen in, etc. You’d need signify from everyone and even then someone might claim something.
Creative Commons might be an option. Or museum, historical society.