Safest way to keep photographs?

[urbantechie]

I have some nice prints I have made that I would like to keep for a long time. Should I go ahead and scan each one and burn it on a CD and back it up in serveral places? Should I buy a lockbox for the acutal photo? I also have some 80yr+ pictures, can I restore these with photoshop?

 

[Bluga]

solution1: laminate.

solution2: upload it to msn communities. You can create as many account as you want(45MB each i believe).

 

[Plantanthera]

In an acid free envelope, and dry dark place.

It is all depend on which type of print you have. Normal C41 archive colour process claimed to last up to 20~30 years with out colour lost. Fuji Crystal Archive (FujiChrome) print suggested a 75 years archive life. While Cibachrome/Ilfordchrome claim a 120 years life span, but independence UV test shown that it is somewhere closer to 60~80 years. (These are archive prints...while normal machine processes, you be lucky to have them last for 10 years)

The Fuji will retain better colour contrast than Ilford, but Fuji fades slightly quicker than Ilford.

Personaly I prefer the Ilford colour over Fuji, because it colour lean slightly over to the warmer tone while the Fuji retain much richer green. (only Agfa film/paper reproduce purple almost perfectly, and best of the bunch for blue)

You archive your photographs and store them, also you chould have a backup copy of the original in digital format.

 

[urbantechie]

No no no! These aren't C41 prints. These are B/W prints I have printed on RC paper. None of these are color, I don't know how to print color

 

[andylawcc]

well you can do both right?
scan first, then envelop or laminate them.

also, cheapie CD-r will die faster than your photos. so I rather save them in Harddrive, or Re burn them every year (hum..?)

 

[AlphaIVT]

don't lose them

 

[urbantechie]

Ok, i'll keep them in maybe 4-5 on-line places, high high quality CDs and MAYBE laminate them.


Plantanthera: Do you think laminating them is a good idea?

 

[Plantanthera]

Laminate them only protect it from moisture, but it will distroy your image & the print (jell) coating.

There are ways to achive your B&W prints.

* Resoak your Resin Coated paper in water then refix it then wash it througly for 2X the required time to make sure you remove all excessive silver. You could also try to tone it with Sepia Toner...a more stable iron base toner that replaces the silver in your print, but you have to reprint the prints will a slightly lower contrast, because Sepia slightly increase contrast (about 1/2~2/3 grade). Also Sepia turn your print to a beautiful rich print if you know what you are doing.

* You should try printing on Rag Papers, because they are design to last longer than RC. Sepia toner compleatly replace all silvers in your paper, and the paper fiber don't break down as quickly as Resin.

Newer Archive RC is suggested to last around 25 years (haven't stand the test of time because newer RC debuted in the mid 90s), while Rag papers using archive process have hell up to the test of time...as long as 80 years, but most will last for 50~55years with out lost of tone definition or contrast. (these are ideal situation that you don't touch them with your greasy/acidic fingers, and uses clean cotton gloves to store them in acid free envelope & in dry dark space)

Wow!

I'm glad to hear that someone still is interested in the art that they took time to develop & print their cherished moment/image...With the machine print, automatic, P&S & digitall these days everyone claim to be a photographer when they have never seen the joy of seeing their image comes alive in the developer bath.

 

[urbantechie]

Crazy!! You are in deep!!


Dang, I have to refix it once in a while!?

 

[urbantechie]

Oh yea, someone came to our class to present alternative printing techniques where he made pictures from contact prints? Exposed them in UV light? Those papers are soo cool!! He like took the emulsion right off the paper and you can physically feel the color tonality. I want to do that

 

[Plantanthera]

Those print are call Kallitype/VanDyke printing. You could get both Brown or Blue/Green, depending on the slight diff of chemicals by mixing Siver process with Iron.
It is very simple if you buy a bottle of it from a photographic store, or you mix the chemical for yourself as I painstakenly did over 10 years ago.
It is fun to try but it is nothing compare to Silver or Platinum printing. I would prefer a person perfected their achive techique & doging/burning process. (I have had beautifull prints that took a box 100 sheets of 8x10 to produce a winning print that I cherish till today)

 

[urbantechie]

Cool, i'll have to try it out. I think what he was mainly doing was platnium printing and all. Those papers feel like cloth, but I hear it's alot more of trial and error?

 

[urbantechie]

Where would they well this acid free containers? I'm thinking my local photosupply store. I have about three pictures I made from a old negative I want to last, when should I refix?

 

[Plantanthera]

Normally you should archive fix your neg & film during initial processing, but you could always do it after the process at any time (as soon as posible will asure better archive).

You could ask your local photo shop to see if they have acid free holder for your photograph, or you could buy acid free papers from your local art store and fold it into a storage folder (make sure you use acid free tape if you need tape).