A reader asked what to do with old family photos. It can be a big project, so make sure you break it down into little steps. Still procrastinating? Break it down into tinier steps.
The first thing is to bring them to family members who might know who they are if they are not labeled.
If you want to create an album, gather the pictures together and decide how you want to organize them. By date? By location? By who is in the photos? By theme? This is probably the longest part, so only do a few minutes at a time if it overwhelms you. Wear cotton gloves to protect the photos.
Ones that you don’t want for the album you can still put in photo safe boxes (archival quality, acid-free). Not in a shoebox which doesn’t keep them from decay. If you have pictures in those old sticky type albums TLC says to keep them there. Trying to get them out can tear them.
Remember, you don’t need to keep them all. See if family members want some. You can even throw out the bad ones.
Don’t store your albums in damp places like the basement or the garage. Store negatives in a safe. According to the Library of Congress, photos should be stored at 68°F and 30-40% relative humidity
If you scan your pictures (or pay someone to have them scanned) you can create faster albums through places like Shutterfly. You should scan at least a few, in case of fire, to preserve your family history. And you can put them online on a family website, put to DVD as a slide show, put in a digital picture frame. Make sure the scanner is dust free. And scan at least 300dpi.
Other ideas (scan them first):
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Turn them into an ornament
Put them under glass on a coffee table or on dresser
Put them in old windows
Put them on pillows
in Mason Jar
Get photos copied on a t-shirt, mug, calendar or mouse pad.
What do you do with your photos?
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