Today’s blog is a guest post from Wendy Dessler

Photography is a job or hobby or millions of people all over the world. There are over 1 trillion photos taken in a given year, and this number is only expected to rise. While most photos today are taken on a camera phone, there was once a time when nearly every photo someone had needed to be professionally developed. 

There is a good chance you have several of these types of photos laying around your home. You likely have some of your family, friends and other important milestones and memories from your life. Unfortunately, over time, these photos can get damaged, bent and suffer a variety of other imperfections. 

With that in mind, this article will look at a couple of helpful tips when it comes to storing old photos and keeping them preserved. 

Know the Right Conditions For Storing Them

While you might think simply tossing your pictures in an old and dusty shoebox and throwing them in your damp basement is fine, that is not the case. In order for your photos to stand the test of time, you need to know the correct conditions for storing them. In particular, you want to keep your photos in a cool environment with plenty of ventilation.

This ensures your photos don’t degrade due to heat or start to develop mold. In addition to that, you should also keep your photos in a dark space that is free of moisture. Moisture can damage photos, cause them to stick and more. Of course, if you store them somewhere too try, the photos can become very frail. 

Of course, be sure to be careful when handling the photos and be sure to use a clean container, as well. If you don’t keep all of this in mind, your photos might not last as long as they could. 

Convert Them to Digital
https://pixabay.com/photos/adult-art-artist-camera-checking-1986108/

Just like many other aspects of our lives, photography has gone digital. While some people will prefer to store their old physical photos in boxes or folders, why not convert them to digital? This way your photos will always be safe and protected from the elements and can be stored indefinitely. 

Of course, you could just take a picture of the picture, but it will likely hurt the quality and resolution of the photo. Instead, why not use a service like EverPresent? These types of services can convert slides and negatives to digital format, can scan your photos and do a wide range of custom options as well. This can be done affordably and is a great way to preserve your memories. 

Properly Prepare Them for Storage

You now know the conditions for how to store your photos, but there is more to know. If you don’t properly prepare your photos for storage, they could still end up damaged. First and foremost, you need to have the right container. It should be sealed and water-resistant, and feature internal dividers to separate photos.

These should be stiff enough to separate the photos effectively, but soft enough not to damage the photos during transport. You should avoid using tape or any other kind of adhesive, and should make sure not to overfill your boxes or containers with photos. Make sure nothing is acidic and ensure everything is clean. 

This may seem like a lot of work and thought to be put into storing photos, but it can be the difference between them aging gracefully and getting irreversibly damaged.

In conclusion, hopefully, this blog post has been helpful when it comes to storing your old photos and preserving memories. The more care you put into storing your photos, the longer those treasured memories will last.