Old Original

Is there a way to get old original pictures onto a CD or DVD?

I have a scanner, but this process would take weeks for the amount I need to get done...I'm hoping for a quicker way...
I don't have film. These are pics I found when cleaning out my Grandmother's closet...So I want to get them on disk but I need the originals back too.

Two options:
1) A desktop flatbed scanner. If you don't want to spend the time doing this yourself, find either an unemployed reliable teenager or a retired person looking for something to do.

2) Lay the photos flat. Position a good digital camera parallel and light the photo so there's no reflections. Take a photo. I'd use a digital SLR and a macro lens. This would probably work better with a lot of smaller photos, because you could lay out several photos and take a digital photograph of them.

I myself would recommend the flatbed scanner. Put multiple photos on the scanner bed (if the scanner bed is legal size, you could get 4 - 4x6" photos per page), which will cut scanning time. Scan all the photos first, then spend time doing the cutting/adjusting, rather than scanning and adjusting which will be slower because you're always switching mental gears.

---