We all love photographs, and many of us have thousands of images stored in a multitude of places.  Whether they are in print or digital, how you store them matters.   

Photographs are meant to preserve moments in history, they are for telling our story to future generations.  With only having digital images we miss opportunities to safeguard those precious records of our life and our people.  Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely believe that having digital images as a backup is ideal, but how and where you store them is important.  I have a friend who lost her Facebook account without any warning.  Eight years of memories and photos were wiped out in an instant.  She had several new phones over those eight years, and didn’t back up the photos because she felt they were safe on Facebook.  I have read lots of posts where people lose their phones full of images, and never took the time to transfer them to their computer.  Storing your images on clouds or image storing services carry risks too. You could get locked out of your account, your account could be hacked, or the company could go out of business. It’s a great idea to keep a list of your accounts and passwords with your important documents.  The technology we store digital photos on is ever-changing.  CDs were popular 15 years ago, but most computers don’t have a disk drive anymore. USB flash drives are handy, but they are not meant for long term storage.  Our computers get viruses and malware, and our drives can be corrupted causing us to lose saved images. 

So, what are we to do?  First, PRINT YOUR PHOTOS!  Really, do it.  When hiring a photographer make sure that they are a full-service photographer that works with professional labs and offer high quality print items.  Professional photography is an investment, you should treat it like one.   Second, print the photos you have on your phone and sitting on your computer.  It is perfectly fine to use consumer level labs for everyday pictures.  You can get them printed for about .20 each, and although the quality is low, it is fine when printing a bunch of non-pro photos.  As a photographer, I always use professional labs when ordering prints for my clients, but I also use them when I want high quality prints for myself.  Especially wall art such as metal or acrylic prints, hand curated albums, or prints I give as gifts.   However, when I have hundreds of everyday photos, I absolutely use an inexpensive consumer level lab.  Third, back up your digital images the best ways possible.  This means to have multiple backup systems; I prefer portable external hard drives.  They cost about $130.00, and you may need several to get started depending on the storage capacity you choose and how many images and videos you store on them.  Every year you should back up the drives to new drives. Yes, you will have a collection of drives, but they are easy to store, and they don’t take up too much space.  Label them, and store them in a box with a lid, and place them in the closet or on a shelf.  For extra security in case of flood/fire, etc., you could store some of the backup drives at another location such as a family member’s home or in a safety deposit box.  Storing photos in a cloud or on a server that is owned by a data storage company is great for extra peace of mind, but I do not recommend it being your only storage.  Trust me when I tell you that the time it takes you to back up your photos properly is well worth it. 

When storing printed photos, it is important that you choose acid free archival storage bins.  You can pick them up at craft stores and order them online.  Also, if you have old family albums, you know the kind with the cellophane page protectors yellowing and crinkly, it would be a good idea to transfer the images to acid free archival albums.  I am still in the process of transferring images from my mother’s albums, and the photos are often hard to remove, but you can use an image release product to make it easier.  I know some people feel printed photos are no longer necessary, but the time you’ll spend looking through albums with your family, or looking at beautiful portraits on your wall is extremely meaningful.  

I was a young girl when my mother passed away, a teenager when my father died, and I was forty when I lost my sister. The family photographs I have are priceless to me.  The albums my mother put together are my most favorite books.  The collection of old photos is my own treasure chest filled with items more precious than anything Jack Sparrow could uncover.  I am forever grateful that my parents loved taking pictures, and I am also grateful that I grew up during a time when everyone printed their pictures.  I do not believe I would have any of these photographs if I had to depend on digital images staying with me throughout my roller coaster childhood.

If you have any questions about how to preserve your family story, please contact me.  I would love to help you! 

This article was also published in Ms. Business Association digital magazine.

https://msbusinessassociation.com/ms-business-association-magazine-spring-2021-edition/