5 Ways to Preserve Your Precious Family Films and Photos

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Family photos and films are priceless. These items help you to reflect on the past and take a trip down

memory lane. Since these pictures and films are so important to you and your family, it is essential

that you take the time and effort to protect them and keep them safe. Here are 5 ways to preserve your

precious family films and photos so that you can continue to pass them on for generations to come.

1. Find or create a controlled environment where you can store film and photos. This may not be

possible for everyone, but if you can do this, it will help you to preserve your films and photos the

best. Ideally, you want to store these things in a cool temperature with moderate humidity. To

achieve this ideal environment, many people store film and photos in the refrigerator.

2. Keep photos and films in a dark space. Light, especially sunlight, can seriously impact the quality

of your film and photos, causing them to fade quickly. With time, sunlight can actually cause so

much damage to videos and film that they may no longer be watchable anymore. Keep photos and

film in a sealed box and try to store them in a cool closet that is also very dark.

3. Understand that film, especially older film, is extremely flammable. In order to protect these

items as well as your home and other valuables, consider storing them in a fire resistant safe.

You can store these items as well as other valuables in the space. Doing this will provide you

with security and peace of mind knowing your cherished items and photos are safe and sound no

matter what.

4. No matter how diligent you are about storing and protecting family photos and films, time will

cause them to age and deteriorate so they likely will not look as new as they did on the day they

were taken or shot. Luckily technology now allows us to restore these photos that have been

handed down to us from family members. The restoration process is so advanced that you can

now get your photos to look as good as, if not better than, the way they looked when they were

originally taken.

5. Finally, transfer these films and photos into a digital format. You can still save these items in

their original hard copy medium, but you will also have a backup copy in a digital form on your

computer, flash drive or even a disc. You can also keep all of your photos and films in one location

on a blue ray disc for easy access. Often companies like Kodak or Just8mm.com and others make

this process very simple too. Just drop off your pictures and videos and they will do the hard

work, transferring everything into the digital format. Then, you can simply pick them up and

enjoy!

When trying to preserve and protect your precious family photos and films, there are several options

available to you. First, be sure to store these items in a cool, humidity controlled, dark space to prevent

damage. Then, consider restoring older photos, keeping them in a fire resistant safe, or even transferring

these cherished photos into a digital format as a back up or for a family video project. Taking these

measures will help you to protect these memories for many years of enjoyment and reminiscing.