If your house was on fire and you could take one thing with you, what would it be? Often people choose their family photos. Experiences are most precious to us and our photos help keep those memories alive. Here are a few tips on how to keep your photos safe.
1. Make Copies
Always order duplicates of prints. My family has a tub full of family photos from our ancestors. They were created before the digital age so we have only one printed copy of important photos. Over time these prints are exposed to heat and age with time. If one of them is damaged, you'll be happy to have another!
2. Keep Your Digital Photos in Multiple Locations
Back up your photos to a hard drive, two if possible. Keeping a flash drive in your car of your favorite photos wouldn't hurt either. This is a safety precaution just incase your computer or hard drive crashes.
3. Post Photos Online
It doesn't have to be public. Sometimes I add an album to facebook and set the privacy setting to "only me". Just so I can access my photos anywhere at anytime, and they're extra safe! A quick google search will help you find a website that can store your photos (and make sharing with family easier!).
4. Send Photos to Family Members
If your precautions at your home were to fall short, it will be such a relief to have copies of those photos at a family member's house. At one point, my family lost a lot of our family photos and I was so happy that my Grandma still had some for us.
5. Print Photo Albums
In the chaos of every day life, and in this digital world, it is so easy to leave your photos in digital form. If you take the time to make an album, you have tangible photos to hand down to the generation after you. You can also gift a copy of your album to a family member for safe keeping. If your hard drives crash or get lost, you'll be happy you did!
I hope that helps keep your precious photos safe! When we are long gone, our photos will be the piece of us we leave behind for our loved ones.
Enjoy the little moments today,
Alisha