6 minute read
Making Memories Last
Making Memories Last By Joy H. Coleman
Every year we go into our overstuffed garage with the honest intent of purging as much ‘stuff’ as possible. To some degree, we do the deed. But no one has the nerve to look into our boxes of family photographs, videos, slides and negatives from the last 30 years plus. The thought of organizing them is simply overwhelming.
The problem with photographs or fi lm is that they aren’t made to last. Photos stored in shoeboxes will be in a fair condition in 20 years, but they will fade and disintegrate. What if we had a fi re or flood? With every year that passes, we have less family or friends to tell us who’s in the photo, what’s going on or where the picture was taken. Those pictures – and our family history – are getting lost.
Here’s a Plan: Start the project by setting small goals. Realize this job will not be nished in a day and may not be nished for months. Small goals help us avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Organize Photos by One of These:
• Decade (1980-1989, etc.) arrange by year. —Then go back and break them down into smaller groups (months or events). • Era (grade school, teenage years, college, etc.) • Category (school events, family vacations, holidays, etc.) • Side of the family.
Focus On Photo Quality:
Focus on the Quality of the Photo We all have priceless moments mixed with food shots from forgotten restaurants. A useful photo collection is thoughtfully chosen. For example: we have many photos of Bridal Veil Falls, but only one includes us and our loved ones in the picture. Keep the pictures that hold both personal or historical value. Then, consider whether the faces in the photo are in focus and are large enough to recognize. A place of interest in the background (family home?) or an important event (a wedding?) adds points.
Store Photos to Last Generations
If you want to keep photos in a box, use an archival-quality acid and lignin–free box. Just say “No!” to plastic or shoeboxes. When using an album, use acid-free plastic sleeves. If a photo is already deteriorating or is especially precious, use a Mylar sleeve for extra protection. The boxes and album sleeves aren’t expensive. Shop archival methods short top boxes, Pioneer photo albums, University Products, or Mylar sleeves from Talas. A safe location for storage is where it’s not too hot, cold or humid. Try an upstairs closet that’s less likely a ected by ooding. If you choose to frame and display an old photo, have it matted and mounted under archival glass.
While keeping photos in archival boxes, handling them sparingly and never exposing them to light is great advice; it’s just not practical. Most of us learned our family stories at Grandma’s table going through those old pictures and hearing her talk about relatives pictured in them. So, while keeping family photos in a safe place, know that their purpose is remembering those who are gone.
If our precious stories or photo details aren’t recorded or saved, they are lost. Family stories plus digging through old photos tends to tickle our ‘want to know thread’ about where we came from and who we are. Here are three strategies for safeguarding your family’s memories.
First, Get The Information Now:
Those who have the knowledge we need may not always be here to ask. Take them the photos, etc. and ask questions about them. To preserve verbal family stories, here are two starting questions: What are the most important lessons you’ve learned in life? Do you remember stories your favorite relatives used to tell you? Record every conversation and, in time, have it transcribed to print.
Making Digital Copies, Part I:
Second, after you’ve gone through your collection of photos, consider digitizing them and saving the originals.
The absolute best way to make sure your photos are protected and safe is to have them digitized, as all physical items will degrade over time. There are software apps and scanners available to do this yourself. There are great YouTube videos guiding the DIY crowd. Digitizing with a high-speed scanner comes down to two choices: more expensive scanners copy a bulk load of photos and cheaper scanners only do one at a time. The cost of DIY is time and, unfortunately, the end result is usually poor.
Making Digital Copies, Part ll:
Third, to ensure quality or provide restoration, hire a digitization service with trained professionals. If you balk at spending money for digital copies, then a reasonable plan is to send them your photos in smaller groups. Don’t send everything all at once. Choose a company to try rst. Then, evaluate the quality of their work and decide whether to send the next group of photos to the same service or choose another company. If you freak out at sending precious photos in the mail, realize most companies o er delivery guarantees. Highly recommended services include FotoBridge, ScanMyPhotos or Kodak Digitizing Box, among others. StarTech is a good regional company providing quality work.
Whatever you have on CDs or VHS, please transfer them now to your computer or an external hard drive as those players are growing less available. Always copy the original material. If you have an 8mm lm reel, don’t digitize the CD/VHS it was converted to in the ‘80s. Have the original 8mm lm digitally copied. Then, back up everything, storing copies in three places: a computer, an external hard drive and a cloud service. Then, you’re protected if your computer dies, gets stolen or a natural disaster hits home.
Scan Old Photos With Your
PHONE
If you have old family photos you wish to save, there are several apps that can help turn your phone into a scanner. Check these popular apps: Google PhotoScan, Microsoft O ce Lens and TurboScan.
If you have a large collection of old printed photos, you can digitize them using a scanner attached to your computer. However, the easiest and cheapest way is to use a photoscanning app like Google PhotoScan, Microsoft O ce Lens or TurboScan to help scan, rotate, crop and add lters to your photos.
Despite the bene ts of using an app, be aware that it may not be the best choice in every situation. The main drawback is that the overall picture quality and resolution achieved through a mobile app won’t compare with what you can get from a dedicated scanner. You also won’t have access to advanced settings like output le type, color mode, resolution, size, brightness and contrast with an app.
Instead, a mobile app comes in handy if you want to scan a collection of photos quickly and don’t need top quality or resolution. You also won’t need to deal with connection issues or tricky scanning setups; just point and scan.
