Article Sphere Logo
 

Have you heard of Archival Photo Storage

By Expert Author: Susan Slobac | Article Abstract
Word Count: 454 words | Views: 176 view(s)
Better Photo Storage and Archival

While there are pundits that think the advent of digital photography has made traditional methods obsolete, the fact is that prints taken from even the best digital sources require the use of archival storage boxes if they are to be preserved in non-digital form. Proper photo storage techniques are even more important when it comes to photographic images produced using traditional methods; light, humidity, temperature and low pH levels can all wreak havoc on traditional photographic prints. By using the right archival storage boxes and paying attention to other factors that can damage your prints, you’ll be able to archive your images and preserve them almost indefinitely.


The Basics

A good photo storage box is made from acid-free materials, is water tight, secure and compact. Ideally, such archival storage boxes are also treated with special “buffering agents” that neutralize any acids that may be present in the environment of the photo storage area. Such acid-free storage boxes represent the most effective archival photo storage solution for prints that must be stored for extended periods of time.

In addition to the proper kind of photo prints storage box, you’ll want to place each print in individual clear bags in much the same way as collectors of vintage comic books store their issues – for much the same reason. It is another layer of protection, ensuring that your photographic prints remain dry and contaminant-free.


Protection From The Elements

Once you have securely stored your prints in clear bags and acid free storage boxes, you’ll need to protect them from light and temperature extremes.

The former issue may seem confusing at first, since light is what makes traditional photography possible in the first place. Once printed and mounted however, light can make short work of an image’s quality. This may not be an issue if photo storage boxes are sealed and placed in a dry, cool, dark space, however.

What is more of a threat is temperature. Heat causes materials to expand, while cold causes them to contract; needless to say, this can cause substantial damage to stored photographic prints, particularly if such prints have been mounted. Ideally, your photo storage location is temperature controlled, or remains at a constant temperature. If this is not practical, there are other steps you can take to safeguard your mounted images from temperature-related damage, including the use of photo corners and special mat boards that allow the image to “breathe” and expand without damage to the print itself.

Good archival storage boxes are not expensive, but are nonetheless an important investment in the protection of your priceless photographic prints. In addition to clear bags and the right mounting materials (if applicable), use of proper archival storage boxes are vital in the preservation of photographs.
Susan Slobac

About the Author/Author Bio

Susan Slobac is an avid photographer. Susan believes a picture frame is more than just fashion; it's a safeguard for something you love.

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Have-you-heard-of-Archival-Photo-Storage/136496

Article Submitted: 2008-04-27 | This Article has been viewed 176 times.

Rate Article

Related Videos

Introduction to Flickr - #3 - Uploading Your Photos to Flickr
Don't Loose Valuable Data - FrugalTech
How To Scrapbook - How to Archive Your Photographs
Finding and Archiving Digital Images
Compressing Photos with WinZip
 

More "Photography" Related Articles

 
 

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Photography" article category.

People interested in the above article "Have you heard of Archival Photo Storage" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

 
I met a designer at a party this weekend. He says he buys a lot of stock photography…and always at iStockphoto. This brings up for me a continuing concern. By not being in the Microstock world, there are a ton of buyers who are not seeing my images.
Do you place enough importance on your keywords? If you do your own key wording do you spend enough time on the task? If your agency handles it do you check on them? I recently had an image go up on Getty's site; An image of an impossible golfing green. In the picture is a small grassy area perched atop a steep rock formation on the jagged California coastline.
One photographer I know tracks his sales closely because he primarily wants to know which models are selling best. In his experience the model makes or breaks the shoot. Another photographer has found that most of his sales come from scenic locations that he shoots throughout the world.
So, you want to make a photo book? Well, the normal procedure might be to buy an album, some stickers, some multi-colored pens, some stencils and other craft supplies and get to work. That's not necessarily everyone's favorite thing to do, though. Luckily, there's a much easier way.
It occurred to me today while adding meta data to my stock photos that one thing you can do to increase your success as a stock photographer is to lead a more interesting life! How do you lead a more interesting life and make it apply to your photography?
A week or so ago I wrote an article on coming up with ideas for stock, How to Generate Effective Ideas for Stock Photos, something I think about a lot. I am always feeling like I have used up all my good ideas when suddenly I come up with a new one, or several new ones.
I just read on the net that a study showed the most dependable way to earn money is to win a novelty half-time contest at a basketball game that requires sinking a basket from the half-court line. Apparently mathematical calculation also took into consideration that the consolation prize often includes a food item from the concession stand.
 
Article Directory Home All Categories Arts And Entertainment Photography
 

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!
 
Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.

Afrikaans Albanian Arabic Belarusian Bulgarian Catalan Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish German English Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Irish Italiano Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Maltese Dutch Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swahili Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Welsh Yiddish