Give your important photos a longer life

If you have important photos that you want to see last longer, there may be more considerations as to how to make that happen than you realize. The good news is, there are also more than a few tricks.

• No matter how well you care for your colour photographs and negatives, their colour will fade over time.
• Black-and-white photos, on the other hand, have been known to hold their detail for more than 100 years.
• So, do future generations a favour: Shoot an occasional roll of black-and-white film to document your family get-togethers and other special moments.

• It's natural to want to display your favourite photos in the sunniest spots around your home.
• Unfortunately, the sun's ultraviolet rays accelerate the aging of photographs.
• That's why it's a good idea to make a second print of any photo you decide to frame.
• For safekeeping, store the extra print — along with the negative — in an acid-free container in a cool, dark place (although not in the basement, where it may be too humid; or the attic, where it can get too hot).

• You may believe those self-stick or "magnetic" photo albums will keep your pictures in pristine condition for years to come.
• In fact, they all use highly acidic glues that can discolour or degrade your pictures over time.
• What's more, the glue itself may dry out after several years, making it impossible to remove the photos from the pages.
• Likewise, the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) contained in many plastics, including the coverings of self-adhesive albums and many picture sleeves, produce vapours that are extremely damaging to photos.
• Be particularly suspicious of photo albums that have a strong "new car" smell.
• That indicates the presence of vinyl, which should be avoided at all costs.
• Instead, look for albums with page coverings made of polyester (or Mylar), polyethylene or polypropylene.

• Think twice before transferring photographs from an old, paper-paged photo album.
• The antique paper probably isn't harming the photographs, whereas removing them can cause serious damage.
• Many times, old family albums also contain useful information about people, places, and events.
• The best way to preserve an old photo album is to layer each page with a sheet of acid-free tissue or photographic conservation paper.

• Don't use white glue, transparent tape or rubber cement on or near your photos.
• Almost all commercial adhesives contain acid levels that will eventually damage your pictures.
• If you need to attach a photo in an album, opt for an acid-free glue, glue stick, or tape sold by photo-supply stores.

• Transferring your photo collection to CDs or DVDs is a great way to preserve the past.
• To do this at home, all you need is a personal computer and a flatbed scanner.
• You'll be able to make copies and prints of your photos while keeping the originals safely tucked away.
• Plus, you can purchase inexpensive software that will let you digitally enhance old photos that may be faded or damaged.
• You won't have to worry about the images on the disks fading or deteriorating, and the disks themselves are much more durable than photographic materials, although they still need to properly stored and handled.
• You can also find companies that will transfer your photos, negatives and slides to disk for you.