Many people take photographs for record-keeping. Photographs are reminders of the most important events in life. With all of the options that are available for taking photos today, it is becoming more common for people to have hundreds of photos that are yet to be organized and properly stored. Photos can be misplaced, ruined or even lost if they are not properly organized and cared for. The photos that represent your cherished moments with friends and loved ones and should be kept safe, but accessible as well. If you have several photographs that need organizing and protection, you'll need to know how to properly arrange and store them.
Digital Preservation
Consider storing some of your photos online. You can keep photos online without sharing them by adjusting your settings on your chosen site, so you don't have to share them with the whole world. Simply keeping a folder of photos on your computer, and storing them locally, will not protect you from loss of your photos in cases of fire damage or virus infected hard-drives. You can keep your favorites in a virtual photo album on sites like Flickr.com. Keeping your photos digitally as well as in print will allow you the versatility of email and social network sharing as well as a backup in case of damage to your printed photos.
Acid Free Albums And Photo Boxes
Store printed photos in labeled albums or photo storage boxes. Keep them in chronological or seasonal order to make sure you can access any photo you like at any time. The boxes and albums, along with any pages, adhesives or items kept with the photos must be acid free to prevent yellowing, distortion and decomposition. If you store the photos in a box rather than an album, use acid free index cards to separate the categories of photos. Keep boxes and albums in a cool dry storage area (preferably not a basement) if possible, to prevent mildewing from heat and moisture or water damage from flooding. For acid free products for your scrap-booking, album keeping or photo storage, check out your local scrapbooking or craft shop.
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