Caring for and Managing Precious Family Photos
by Paul L. Enchelmayer - 2011
Storage, physical preservation
Ideal Environment
o Low Humidity (35-50%); Low Temperature (60-70F); Low Light (dim-dark).
Enclosures
o Dust free, light tight
o Albums (scrapbooks); boxes; frames.
Storage Materials
o Paper album pages, envelopes, sleeves, boxes.
o Acid-free, Lignin- free, unbuffered paper.
o Plastic sleeves, containers
o Uncoated polyester, polyethylene or polypropylene - not Polyvinyl.
Older (legacy) albums
o Fragile – Handle with care!
o Paper pages may crack and break.
o Copy photos with a camera when scanner is impractical.
o Use interleaf sheets to protect pages.
o "Magnetic" albums – store cool.
o Only remove photos if possible - carefully.
Restoring
Create a digital image (scan photos, documents) to digital format
o Do it yourself (scanners, cameras).
o Commercial scanning services: (try local store kiosks first)
o http://slidescanning.com - for negatives and slides.
o http://scanmyphotos.com - for prints
Image Editing Software: Windows Live Photo Gallery, Picasa Photo Organizer
o Features
o Color correction.
o Contrast, brightness.
o Cropping.
o Photo filing and cataloging.
Paper/Plastic Resources
o Photo/camera stores.
o Album/scrapbook workshops (Creative Memories)
o Online shops for storage materials:
o http://www.archivalmethods.com
Image Editing Resources
o Windows Live Photo Gallery:
o http://explore.live.com/windows-live-photo-gallery
o Picasa Photo Organizer:
“How-to” Resources
o Library of Congress - http://www.loc.gov/preserv/care/photo.html
o National Archives - http://www.archives.gov/preservation/family-archives/
paulench@hotmail.com © 2011
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