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The Three Biggest No No’s People Do With Their Photographs

There are so many things that people do with their photographs or have done with their photographs in the past, that sincerely make me cringe. Of course, it is not just me that is cringing. The people who are dedicated to archival quality of photographs are cringing too. These three no-no’s are so common, it is scary. Please avoid these three horrible ideas at all costs. Marking the Photograph Do not, I repeat, do not mark on the back of your photograph with anything other than a photo pencil that has been created and designed to keep your photographs safe. … Continue reading →

Why Are My Photographs Deteriorating?

There is nothing worse than pulling a stack of photographs out of a container and seeing that the photographs are damaged or fading. Photographs are extremely fragile, and must be handled with extreme care if you want them preserved for future generations. There are plenty of reasons why your photographs could be deteriorating, however there are three main (and extremely common) factors that contribute to this. Poor Storage and Conditions Obviously as I have discussed in other articles, poor storage is the quickest way to damage your photographs. It is imperative that you take a little time to ensure that … Continue reading →

Photography Week in Review for September 3-9, 2007

Michele and I have gone “digital”. Well we went digital a long time ago, but we expressed to you all, how much more we enjoyed our film camera, than that of the current technology. However, we refocused our outlook and are providing you with dozens of articles on digital a week. Let’s see what went on in the photography blog this week: The Three Biggest No No’s People Do With Their Photographs There are so many things that people do with their photographs or have done with their photographs in the past, that sincerely make me cringe. Of course, it … Continue reading →

Properly Handling a Photograph

Obviously the majority of us amateur photographers do not care as much about how to properly handle a photograph. But it can make a huge difference in how long your photographs will last and how much damage is done. Therefore, proper handling of a photograph is an important thing to learn, especially if you are at all interested in passing your photographs down to generations to come. Clean Hands One would think that this would be common sense, but you would be amazed at how many people handle photographs over lunch at a cafe with friends or dinner with relatives. … Continue reading →

Photo Negative Safety Tips

Keeping negatives safe for centuries to come is important. There is nothing worse than having a photograph get damaged, only to find out that the negative is also damaged and more than likely the photo is not replaceable. That can easily lead to broken hearts as well as no memory connection for future generations. Do Not Let Them Touch Store negatives in sleeves or in some other system where multiple negatives cannot touch each other. This is important to avoid scratches, or if by some horror the negatives became moist, they won’t stick together if they aren’t touching each other. … Continue reading →

How to Best Organize Your Negatives

Negatives are a pretty important part of photography. If you took picture prior to your digital, you have negatives. There is not much of a way around it. However, knowing how to properly organize and store negatives is something you might be doing for a long time to come. Without negatives you cannot reprint photographs, or even print any at all. I have hundreds upon hundreds of those tiny little strips in my possession – not only mine, but some of my extended families too. Figuring out how to organize them and store them was simply a nightmare at first. … Continue reading →

How to Best Organize Digital Images

Organizing digital images you have taken is an important process in taking digital photographs. Because digital images are different from negatives, they are stored in a computer or on a back up drive of some kind. The safety concerns with a digital photograph are far different than that of a printed photograph or a set of negatives. Two Places Storing your images should take top priority. This is your only ensured method of back up and I will tell you, that trusting your computer to save all your photographs is not a smart move. It is okay to keep them … Continue reading →