What is the best way to store photos safely for future generations?

I could store them in plastic, in a climate controlled storage unit, fireproof safe, or at home somewhere high and out of danger from flooding, etc.

I would also scan them in to a computer, and back them up on CD’s and an external hard drive. That’s what I did with a lot of my important photos. :)

I have most keepers mounted in plastic-coated album pages, with a note next to each referring to a negative stored elsewhere. I started this long before scanners were something that ordinary people could own.

Computer storage is good, but I don’t like to entrust anything irreplaceable to a medium that is not visible to the naked eye and that requires an energy source to view. Who knows what future technology will be like, and what restrictions there’ll be on energy use?

My son was part of a project to help restore (through PhotoShop and some rather sophisticated imaging techniques) heavily damaged family photos salvaged in New Orleans after the storm. What a lesson in protecting family treasures. And what a good reason to make sure far-flung family members have copies of the important things.

I have two great books about preserving stuff-one from the Smithsonian.

You want to duplicate and preserve….you want the photos to avoid extremes in lighting and moisture. The photos should be free from pest exposure and handling.

Here is a great link w/ step by step instructions in handling.
http://www.ehow.com/how_2162115_preserve-family-photos.html

Personally, I yanked all of my regular photos out of albums and will be archiving them in acid free photo boxes (for space issues). School pictures will be put in an acid free album.
Future pictures will be archived on my computer and onto a CD.

Hi there- I wanted to jump in and let you know of a solution to store your photos for the long haul if you’re interested in going the digital route.

My name is Mallory, and I work for a company called Swiss Picture Bank. Essentially, we offer safe, long-term, online photo storage for 30+ years.

For your particular case, I would recommend using a scanning service like Scanmyphotos.com or ScanCafe.com, and then archiving those scans online so they will stand the test of time (and dust, regular handling, etc..)

Just to share with you some of the details about our particular storage guarantee: Currently, key features include 30+ years of storage for a one-time payment; per-picture pricing; quadruple-redundant archival-quality storage; and even a business backup that protects users and their photos, should anything happen to our service (a la AOL Pictures); all backed with the only guarantee in the industry. Furthermore, we promise never to look at, share, or sell your photos with anyone else. Basically it all means that if the world comes to an end, your photos will still be there. ☺

We’ve set up one of the most secure systems out there, but right now we’re in the process of developing our site’s features and services so that they are much more accessible and streamlined. If you’re interested, feel free to contact me at mallory@swisspicturebank.com if you have any questions you’d like to throw my way, or catch up with me on Twitter (we’re @picturebank).