Today we wrap up our series on how to organize photographs.

Today’s post covers storing photographs.

Storing Photographs

You’ve finally gotten all your photographs sorted and organized into some groups or pattern. Now it’s time to store the photos in a way that works for you. Consider what your goals were when you first set out to organize your photos (hint: check back to Part One of this series!).

Keep in mind that when storing anything, the question that begs to be asked is, “How do you use/how will you use what you are storing? How you store photos really depends on you; how you plan to use/will use the photos.

Do you like looking at your photos frequently in an album? Do you like looking at photos on your wall? Will you create a collage for a family reunion? There’s no right or wrong answer. For example, you could store photos in an album with contact sheets or with sleeves, place them in a scrapbook, mount them in frames, or scan and store them on your computer.

Preserving Photos

Remember that any type of print photo will eventually deteriorate over time. If you want to protect photo prints, purchase albums that have acid-free paper and that also let you seal out moisture, dirt and dust with a layer of plastic or protective film. Once you have properly sealed photos, be sure to store photos out of direct sunlight and keep them in a cool, dry area.

If you really want to preserve your print photos for future generations, set aside a separate project to scan and digitize photos. Don’t forget to save your photos to your hard drive and an external drive as well – you don’t want to lose your hard work!