Guest post: How to store old photos and preserve precious memories

Guest post by Wendy Dessler

Each year, over 1 trillion photos are taken around the world. Usually, these pictures are created to freeze a special moment in time. For most people, finding a way to preserve these memories is the main concern. There are a number of tools on the market designed to help photography enthusiasts with their photo storage needs.

Whether you use a service that provides slide scanning to digital or store your photos on your own, there are a number of precautions you need to take. Failing to provide your photos with the care they deserve may lead to them getting destroyed.

Here are some of the things you need to preserve and protect your old photos.

Using Technology to Protect Old Photos

While keeping the physical copy of old photos is important, you need to create backups as well. If a fire should happen, you don’t want your memories lost forever. This is why having your old photos scanned onto a hard drive or other digital media storage device is important.

There are a number of services that can do this work for you. If you have a number of photos you want to scan and save, then invested in the equipment needed to do this work is a good idea. Ideally, you will want to create a number of different copies to ensure these memories are safe.

Not only will you need to keep a copy on a physical digital storage device, but you also need to use a cloud server to store copies as well. With the help of a website like DropBox, you can store all of your photos for a very low price. The money you pay for this cloud storage will be well worth it in the long run.

Learning How to Store Physical Copies of Old Photos

Once you have created digital copies of your old photos, you need to find a way to store them correctly. Failing to place a priority on how and where these photos are stored can lead to them getting damaged. Here are some of the things you need to consider when putting old photos in storage.

Proper Ventilation is a Must

One of the main things you need to ensure when storing old photos is that they have plenty of ventilation. Ignoring the need for air circulation in the storage area can lead to the development of mold and other problems. If your pictures develop mold, you will lose the physical copies of them forever. This is why choosing a climate-controlled storage unit is a good idea.

Avoid Moisture At All Cost

When putting your old pictures in storage, you also need to be mindful of any moisture. Storing the photos in a high-humidity area is a recipe for disaster. Often times, the more moisture there is in a storage area, the higher the risk of mold and mildew will become.

Too Much Light Can Be Dangerous

Keeping your old photos from fading is important. This is why you need to enclose them to keep light off of them while they are being stored. If the photos are exposed to light on a consistent basis, it is only a matter of time before they start to fade. Most people put their old photos in either album or an envelope to keep them protected.

Your Hard Work Will Pay Off

While protecting your picture memories will be a time-consuming and a somewhat expensive process, it is definitely worth the investment. Consulting with photography professionals is a great way to ensure no mistakes are made during this process.