How To Properly Save Vintage Photographs
Photographs carry memories, whether they’re of people alive or who’ve passed away; they tell stories and create wonder and intrigue. Whether they’re physical photos or digital, they’re like portals to another time, and that’s why photos are so fascinating and enjoyable.
The wonder is part of why coming across vintage photos is exciting for finders. Grandparents and older relatives are more likely to hold onto vintage images from their pasts, but they could—and probably will at some point—get passed on to a younger person in their family. This is an excellent opportunity to restore the vintage photos and give them the care they deserve. This article covers how to properly save vintage photographs to keep the memories alive.
Where To Store Safely
It's essential to know where you wish to store the photographs. Proper storage is vital in order to keep their integrity intact. Luckily, storage systems are easy to come by at a local craft store. You can either use new albums with archival sleeves or use acid-free photo storage boxes. Be sure to handle the photos carefully with cotton gloves and a gentle touch.
The photo’s storage environment should remain dark with temperatures sitting around 68 degrees and thirty to forty percent humidity. That way, the photos can be maintained. Avoid cold, hot, or overly humid climates, and make sure you’re storing them away from potential water leaks and fire.
Delicately Clean the Photos
Photos can accumulate dirt and smudges from constant physical interaction and outside contaminants. So, it's good to know how to clean them so you can learn how to properly save vintage photographs. Sometimes all you need to do is gently wipe them off with a soft cloth.
However, there are times where vintage photos are dirtier than you’d expect. So, it's essential to clean them with care. Contact a location restoration specialist and inform them of any physical flaws the photos might have. You can either mail them to the specialist or send a scanned copy through email. They can retouch the photos to take away any color tinges, scratches, and creasing.
Relocate Your Photos
Over time, frames can become cracked and worn down. Layers of dust and grime can make the vintage photos appear even more worn-down they are. The pages of photo albums can degenerate with age which causes the adhesive, if there is any in the album, to lose its grip. In fact, if your vintage photos originate from the seventies and eighties, they most likely hold adhesive fumes which are harmful to the photos. So, it’s vital to relocate them somewhere else to preserve their integrity.
Be sure to wear cotton gloves as you remove the photos from old photo albums. If some of them were stapled down, use the proper tools to gently remove the staples from the photos and album itself. Otherwise, if they're held down by adhesive, move dental floss under the corners of the pictures and gently pull it along to loosen them from the album. Take your time and don’t apply too much pressure. Removal of photos from albums as described above, should only be done if the photos come off the page easily. If the photos can not be removed easily, you will risk damaging them, which if you want the photo repaired, can be a costly endeavor. If the photo does not easily come off the page, you can contact a professional digitization studio, like DiJiFi, that has software that allows them to scan the entire album page and select just the photos. The digital image created is identical in quality to the digital image created from a loose photo.
Include Index Cards
As you safely store your photos in their new designated spots, provide index cards to identify them. You can organize them by date, name, or place. This way, when locating specific pictures later, you can find them with ease and speed.
Keep track of who or what the photos contain and if any information was written on them. This can prevent mix-ups. So, go through the images with your family and categorize them based on anything written on their back. Then you can then organize and store them with ease.
Write With a Pencil
Some photos already come with written descriptions of what the image contains and what year they were taken. If you plan on marking the photo itself, be gentle and use a No.2 pencil to mark the back of the photo. Lead is less likely to fade over time or cause unwanted or harmful interaction with the photographs. Avoid using a ballpoint pen or marker; they can cause ink smearing and physical indentations on the photo.
Frame Them Carefully
The frames of vintage photos will wear down over time. So, the best thing to do is permanently remove the photo from its original frame and place it in a new one.
Check for any physical flaws or damage on the photograph itself, then gently place it into the new frame. From there, either put it out on display in a controlled room or store it safely.
Consider Digitizing Your Favorites
If you have a few favorites among the bunch, consider getting them digitally scanned. Scanning vintage photos ensures their existence in case the original copy becomes highly damaged or lost. If you have a home printer, you can digitize the photos yourself. Alternatively, if you want you could take them to a professional facility and get them downloaded onto a USB stick. Making digital scans prevents the photos from getting damaged even more.
Additionally, if you want, printing physical copies of your favorite photos is also a great option. You can store them in your wallet or keep them displayed at all times as decorations throughout our home. You can print as many as you wish and even gift them to family and friends. Physical copies of digitized photos are a great thing to have; if one gets ruined, simply print another scan from your computer and get a new frame.
If you’re in the market to convert photos to digital services, give us a visit at DiJiFi. We offer the ability to transition your physical photocopies to digital formats. We can save your photos on hard drives, discs, or even on the cloud and we offer high quality, archival photo printing as well. If you have any questions, contact us today at 646-519-2447 or info@dijfi.com.
