| Preserving photos has become my top priority. | | | | would like to preserve, then take it to a reputable |
| My Grandmother and I have started going | | | | photo printing shop and have it saved to a disk. |
| through her collection of photographs to scan and | | | | Scanning the actual photo will not give you the |
| preserve 7 generations worth of photos. As I'm | | | | quality that you can achieve with a negative. |
| archiving these photos, and realizing their value, I | | | | - Be careful with the photos and negatives that |
| want to preserve them to the best of my | | | | you handle and how you handle them. Each time |
| abilities. I've done tons of research and put | | | | you increase the possibility of damage. You should |
| together a list to help you preserve yours too. | | | | always wear cotton gloves, only touch the edges |
| - Photos look beautiful when hung around the | | | | of your photos, and as little as possible. Your |
| fireplace, but be wary, this will ruin your photo. I'm | | | | hands carry acids and oils that are harmful and will |
| not saying don't do it, but be sure that you have | | | | age your photos. |
| another copy. | | | | - If you are keeping the original photos too, a #2 |
| - Do not use anything that does not say | | | | pencil is recommended to write names and dates |
| "acid-free". | | | | on the back of the photos. Be careful not to |
| - Store your photos near the center of your | | | | press too hard, this will leave an indention on the |
| home up in a closet. Keep them safe from | | | | front of your photo. |
| humidity, extreme temperatures, direct sunlight | | | | - Thanks to technology we can preserve our |
| and smells. | | | | family history forever, but do not alter your |
| - Store your photos in an archival safe storage | | | | original photo. To do this you will need to put |
| container, so they're safe from debris and bugs, | | | | everything on your hard drive then save it to |
| which can cause damage. | | | | several disks and store them in different locations. |
| - Do not store the negatives, paper or newspaper | | | | Give them to grandparents, parents, siblings or |
| clippings with your photographs. Place them in a | | | | put them in a safe deposit box. Technology is |
| separate container. | | | | forever changing, so you will also need to try to |
| - When looking for a frame to hang your photo in | | | | keep up with it and update the disks every so |
| look for ones that are made of stainless steel, | | | | often. Because pictures files are so large, I don't |
| acid-free plastic or aluminum. | | | | recommend trying to save every picture that |
| - Be sure to take some black and white photos | | | | you take, just the important ones. |
| too, they last longer than color prints. | | | | - A DVD is another way to preserve your |
| - Do not use photo albums with clear plastic | | | | photos, they hold up seven times the capacity of |
| covers that peel back. The best method is | | | | a CD, plus you don't need a computer to enjoy it, |
| probably the most common style used, just use | | | | just a TV and DVD player. |
| corner mounts in an acid-free book, so the glue | | | | If have any techniques you would like to share, |
| never touches your print. | | | | please add to the list by leaving a comment. |
| - If you have the negative of a picture that you | | | | |