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People of been documented their lives with photographs for generations. In order to make sure that our families will someday enjoy the photos we take today, it is important to take care of your photos and protect them from the effects of age and improper storage methods. Below are some basic tips to storage and handling of your memories:

Labeling Your Photos

We all try to keep track of our memories by labeling, or at least we try, if you don't know who's in your pictures or when it was taken, why keep it? We should try to get in the habit of labeling our photos as soon as we get them, doing so will save you so much time later on.

Use only acid free pens or pencil to write on the back of your photos, pressing gently so not to ruin the image on the other side.

Beware of Adhesives

Stay away from glue, tape and rubber cement, these adhesive will quickly break down your photos ruining them forever. There are several types of non-acid adhesives on the market, try your local photo supply store. Also, when labeling CDs and DVDs, use only a water-based felt tip marker on the disc.

Storing Your Memories

The most important advice is to keep your photos out of the sun, the UV rays will quickly destroy your precious memories. I would also recommend duplicating the photos that you wish to display keeping the original in storage.

Never store photos, CDs, DVDs, film or videos in the attic, garage or basement, the temperature and humidity in these areas fluctuate way beyond ideal conditions. A good rule of thumb is to store them in conditions where you would be normally comfortable. Photographs should not be kept in temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity above 60% for long periods of time.

Choosing the Right Album

Photo albums are a popular ways to store and share your pictures. When choosing your album, make sure the album pages are acid free and "archival" quality and that "PVC" was used in the manufacturing process of the plastic protective sheets. Other albums emit chemicals that can break down your photos composition. Also, consider making digital copies of your family photos, this can be done professionally, click here for more details or visit http://www.ctimaging.com

Hands Off!

Our skin contains oils that are very dangerous to photographs, which will eventually appear as spots on photographs. Always try to hold your photos on the edges or wear cotton gloves when handling photographs. Negatives are extremely sensitive to this type of damage.