Safe ways to store family photos
Don't try to deny it. Somewhere in your abode lies a box overflowing with weathered and faded family photographs as well as scratched CDs holding hundreds of photos from recent years. Why let these treasured memories wither away? It only takes a few simple steps to save them from further deterioration and store them in a place for safekeeping that want take up precious space in your home.
Although photo restoration techniques have come a long way in recent years, you shouldn't be lulled into a false sense of security. It's far better to keep valuable or treasured photos in prime condition from the start and to also house a digital backup. Digital storage solutions for photos in modern times are very sophisticated nowadays almost removing all need for any physical storage at all. This means that backing up your photos should become as about as natural as brushing your teeth. Remember, if you never off-load the images from your phone or camera, then your memories could be lost or damaged as easily as the device itself.
Even if you dutifully transfer your photos to a computer or website, you’re not home free. Drives can crash or be destroyed in a disaster, and online companies can go out of business. Two simple strategies for safeguarding against the hazards of fate: redundancy and geographic distribution. In other words, make multiple copies of photos, and don’t keep them all in the same place.
Upload regularly
After an event or at a regular time each week, transfer photos from your camera or phone to your computer. It’s a good idea to place photos in folders corresponding to the occasion or time frame (monthly, for instance), then place those folders into a folder for that year. Copy the annual folder onto an external hard drive and a cloud-storage service. That gives you two sets of backups for the photos on your computer.
Automate everything
Some photo-organising and image-editing software – such as Picasa, for example – will ask if it can scan your entire computer for photos. Once it’s done, it displays all of the folders containing photos so that you don’t have to hunt for them. Alternatively, nowadays most external hard drives and online backup services include backup software. You can also use your operating system’s backup utility. On Macs, it’s called Time Machine. On Windows 8, it’s called the File History feature in the Control Panel.
Cloud storage
Photos stored online are accessible no matter where you are. Cloud services usually offer limited space at no cost and charge for more. The options available include, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive or Apple iCloud
Safe storage of physical photos
You likely also have a lot of physical photos that you do not have digital backups of. Consider scanning everything onto your computer. Otherwise you should at least invest in a proper storage system. Your local craft store should have the basic supplies you'll need. Stock up on albums with archival sleeves as well as acid-free photo storage boxes. Before filing and packing away any old photos, toss out paper clips, rubber bands, manila envelopes, staples and anything that has an odor. Wear cotton gloves while handling photographs to avoid long-term fingerprint damage. Photos with historic significance should be treated extra carefully. In these cases, it's usually best to seek the help of a professionally trained conservator, who can clean, treat and prepare the photos for storage in the most effective manner possible