How
to Care for Your Photographs
Learn how to protect and preserve your photographs from damage
and fade.
by Andrew J. Morris
May 3, 2004
Photographs are wonderful, mysterious things. Yet we have become
so accustomed to them that we take them for granted. 1999 marked the
160th anniversary of the public introduction of photography. Prior
to 1839 you could not see what distant places truly looked like, or
see yourself as you appeared when you were younger. Most people didn't
know what the President of the United States really looked like, or
the King or Queen of England. Oh sure there were pictures, artists
drawings and paintings, but they were all interpretations -- even
the most faithful representations were influenced by the style, medium
and mind of the artist. Along came the invention of photography, and
all that changed overnight.
With every picture you take, you are freezing a moment in time; capturing
a view that can never be exactly the same again. You may have a closet
full of such frozen moments, or just a few rolls from your last vacation.
If you want to be able to enjoy those moments far into the future,
you need to take some care in the handling and storage of those images.
If you have family photos handed down from earlier generations, you
have a responsibility to future generations to pass them on in as
good condition as possible.
When taking care of older photographs it helps to know something
of the process by which they were made, but it not essential. If you
would like to learn more about 'Identifying and Dating Old Photographs'
there is considerable information available. In practice, all photos
need to be protected from the same dangers. Light is enemy number
one. Chemical degradation is another problem, and much less easy to
deal with. And of course you must protect them from physical damage,
be it the curiosity of children or the fury of storm, flood or fire.
Light
Photographs are made by the action of light on a specially treated
chemical surface (at least they were before digital imagery was invented,
but more about that later ...) Little wonder then that even after
they are fixed into a stable image, photographs can still be affected
by light. Bright light will cause photos to fade. Actually, all photographs
are fading at all times, but light greatly accelerates the process.
The degree of fading depends on the type of process used to create
the image, how well it was processed, and other factors. As a general
rule, color photos fade faster than black and white.
Of course you have to expose photos to light to view them, and what
good are they if they are never seen? But you should be careful to
store them in light-proof boxes. Pictures you hang on your walls should
be thought of as disposable -- don't hang the original if it is a
family heirloom -- make a copy and hang that. Avoid placing pictures
where they will be in direct sun.
Chemical Degradation
When pictures fade from sunlight it is really a form of chemical
degradation, but there are other factors that can contribute to this
process. If the pictures were not properly processed when they were
made, they have more damaging chemicals on them, and will suffer the
effects of chemical degradation much faster than properly processed
images. If you are having copies made, or prints from new photos that
you want to last well into the future, you can have them archivally
processed to ensure the fewest possible damaging trace chemicals will
remain on the print. Old prints can be re-processed to remove chemicals,
but that process should only be attempted by professional restoration
experts.
Another source of chemical degradation is the paper (or on mounted
pictures, the cardboard the print is mounted on) used in making prints.
If the paper is too acidic, it may fall apart with time, disintegrating
slowly from within. There are sprays available that can be used on
the back of photos to slow this process.
Photos can also pick up deleterious chemicals from their environment,
the air around them, other pictures, or the material they are stored
in. To ensure long life, store your pictures in safe materials designed
for archival storage. Never use those so-called magnetic photo album
pages that are sticky -- that sticky surface is made of chemicals
that will destroy your pictures.
Other factors than can affect the chemical degradation of photographs
are temperature and humidity. Like most chemical processes, those
that damage your pictures are accelerated by heat and humidity. Excessively
low heat or humidity can also be damaging however. All materials expand
and contract with temperature changes, which can lead to cracking
of the image surface. Rapid changes in temperature and humidity can
be very destructive. Very low humidity can also cause curling. Store
your photos in an area where the temperature is steady and avoid extremes
such as would be found in an attic or basement. Again, proper storage
materials will help ameliorate the effects of fluctuating temperature
and humidity.
Physical Protection
How many times have you seen interviews with survivors of a disaster
such as flooding or fire, where they lament the loss of their irreplaceable
family photos? There is a simple solution to this problem. Photos
have the wonderful property of being reproducible. You can have copies
made in any quantity. Always have multiple copies made of your favorite
photos, and send them to relatives living in other parts of the country.
If you have pictures of historical significance, contact museums in
the locality where they are from, they may be happy to accept copies.
Distribute your images far and wide, and you will always be able to
find another copy should yours be destroyed.
There are less severe forms of physical destruction that you can
protect against. Bent corners, folds and smudges from greasy fingers
can all damage your pictures. Children will scribble on the backs
if given the chance. Store your pictures securely, in safe materials.
Don't just stuff them in a drawer. There are chemically inert plastic
sleeves available for picture albums that allow the pictures to be
viewed without removing them from their page.
Information
The value in common snapshots and portraits lies mostly in the associations
we have with them. Portraits of our ancestors interest us more than
unidentified portraits. Pictures of places we have been, houses we
have lived in, are more interesting than similar pictures for which
we have no associations. Even indirect associations lend worth to
an image -- a snapshot of the pyramids in Egypt may not approach the
many professional images available of those wonderful monuments; but
if we know it was Aunt Lizzie who took that picture while on her honeymoon,
the picture suddenly has more sentimental value.
These associations require information not contained in the photo
itself. Always label your pictures! The who/what/why/when/where associated
with an image makes a world of difference in how it is valued by others.
Never write on a print with a pen, the ink may have chemicals that
will damage the picture. Write on the back, using a dark pencil, and
don't press so hard as to damage the front side. At a minimum, put
the date and names of persons shown and/or location of the photo.
If you store them in clear plastic sleeves, don't put two pictures
back-to-back in one sleeve -- leave the back visible so you can see
if there are any notes without having to remove the picture from its
sleeve.
Digital Images
With the advent of digital imaging, we have a whole new type of image
to deal with. It does not degrade, and can be copied at little expense.
It is also more easily manipulated. Long-term storage is technology
dependent, and less predictable than the physical processes affecting
chemical photographs. Will CD's or DVD's made now be intact a hundred
years from now? Will there be machines capable of reading them? Who
knows? But the opportunity to duplicate and distribute your images
at minimal cost, with room to include as much information as you want,
rather than just the little note that will fit on the back of a print,
makes this an attractive way to share your pictures. You can be sure
that when the time comes that the CD or DVD formats are phased out,
there will be a "window of opportunity" during which time it will
be easy to transfer the digital information from those to whatever
format replaces them.
© 2004 Andrew J. Morris
The author, Andrew J. Morris, is a writer, programmer, researcher,
publisher and general infopreneur. Explore his varied expressions
at http://ajmorris.com and http://epmassoc.com
