If you’ve been following my Instagram, you saw that I’m knee deep in a project organizing photographs. It started with the collection left by my mother, but grew quickly to include my photos, too. I have a lot of ‘loose’ photos of my own needing a proper home. This includes photos I removed from albums with self-adhesive pages that were starting to yellow. I was concerned they would be damaged, so I removed them and tossed them into a box. I already had another big box of assorted photos for which I didn’t have a plan. Loads of 5″ x 7″ and 8″ x 10″ photos. Add to that six boxes of negatives, duplicates and reject photos that didn’t make the cut to be put into an album. It was a mess. And it is still a mess, but I’m making progress.
Lots of company
It turns out there are a lot of people in the same position. Everyone is interested in how to make the process of preserving family photos easier and faster. In this blog I’ll share the suggestions I was given and what has worked for me. Pat yourself on the back for tackling this project. However you decide to go, I believe you’ll appreciate the effort and your family will, too.
How to begin?
I spent a lot of time grouping my mom’s photos by trips, locations and people and threw away duplicates. So far, I’ve taken care of most of her collection of 700 photos. I found an album to store miscellaneous 5″ x 7″ photos at Cheap Pete’s cheappetes.com. Most photo albums available are made for 4″ x 6″ photos so coming across this album was good timing. All the enlargements originally sized to display in frames around the house are now collected in this album. The consensus from my Instagram post was that I should throw the negatives away if they don’t have historical value. None of them do, so away they went.
Do I scan the old photos?
With so many photos the scanning of them would require a better scanner than I have. The prices for photo scanners with an auto-feed feature average about $500, but can be as high as $1,500 for ultra fast scanning. Concern about spending money on a one-time project and the desire to avoid future e-waste, led me to research services that will scan pictures for you. I bookmarked a couple of them: Scan Cafe scancafe.com and Scan My Photos scanmyphotos.com. The costs seem reasonable. They charge by the number of photos or a flat fee for a box of photos. Most charge extra for returning the originals or for restoring them to their original quality.
Seeking professional help
A friend from high school brought to my attention a company that helps individuals and businesses manage their photos. It’s called The Photo Managers thephotomanagers.com and not only do they provide resources to get you started, but on the website they list professionals that can help with a wide range of services including photo restoration and researching your family history. The website identifies 5 steps in getting started as follows:
- Define your goal
- Gather everything
- Sort & Categorize in a way that makes sense to you, editing as you go. (Discard duplicates & blurry pictures.)
- Save – either scan your printed photos or hire a pro (find on on their website) to help.
- Share – in a book, website or via slide shows
Viewing photos on a computer doesn’t spark joy
Storing photos on the cloud is the best way to keep your memories safe. This is especially important living in fire-prone California. However, I don’t enjoy viewing them on a computer. Just as it’s a better experience to receive a card or letter than a text, photos are best enjoyed in an album or book rather than via a screen.
Enzo Sica, a professional photographer, suggests the best method is to have both a secure digital method of preserving photos and a physical presence. He suggests that retaining the actual photos increases the chance they will be viewed and appreciated over time.
My new approach
I’ve found a solution to managing all my digital photos that has been a game changer. No longer am I printing photos and inserting them into albums. Now I create an annual photo album on Shutterfly shutterfly.com. With the Shutterfly app on my phone, it’s easy to upload photos directly to the site. I select from the photo album templates they offer and personalize my book as the year goes. The books average 75 pages and take up much less space to store compared to a regular photo album. There’s an option to have a book created for you, too. If this sounds like a paid promo, it’s not. I’m just a fan. Shutterfly is rated the top photo book service by CNET.
Photographs capture only the moments; but since every moment is very important in human life, every photo is also very important.
Mehmet Murat Ildan, Turkish Novelist & Playwright
Why all the effort?
If the moments captured in your photos are as precious to you as mine are to me, then the time, money and effort we spend on preserving them is worth it. The old photos give us a window to the past, a tangible connection to our ancestors. Flipping through albums and photo books is something I really enjoy doing. It’s a portal to happy memories and a complement to journaling.
I’d like to hear how you’ve managed your old photos. Do you have a scanner you recommend? Do you use a photo book app? Share what is working for you.