Top Mistakes Your are Making with Your Photos, Part 1
We all make mistakes. It’s part of life and learning. But, in my line of work as a photo manager, I have come across a set of very common mistakes we are all making which are harming our precious images. Many of my new clients call me in an emergency situation because they can’t find their photos or fear they have been destroyed. There are things you can do now to protect your memories. This blog post will be mistakes 10-6 and be sure to read the sister blog post that will focus on mistakes 5-1. If you need help with any of these items, check out: Sunflower Photo Solutions.
Mistakes With Your Photos
Mistake #10: Not preserving the story behind the photo. Documenting the story behind a photograph adds depth and meaning to the image, transforming it from just a picture into a narrative to save for generations. Of course, not every picture fits in this category, but each family has a number of them, and it is important to document. This not only enhances the value of the photograph but also helps to keep family histories, traditions, and memories alive, allowing them to be passed down and cherished by future generations.
Mistake #9: Storing your photos incorrectly. Your photos should live where you live, in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. If not, your photos are at risk for mold, decay and disintegration, and at the least curling and fading. Get those photos out of the garage, attic, crawl space and storage facility and store them in the house where they will be safe, preferably on a high shelf.
Mistake #8: Not having a digital hub. If you think about it, our digital photo life did not start with the phone camera. It started somewhere around 2004 with the digital camera, where photos were stored on a memory card. You most likely have memories strewn about your house on memory cards, flash drives, CDs, old phones and old computers to name a few. Transfer all of these onto one designated hub, perhaps an external hard drive or your computer. That way they are all in one place so you can protect them.
Mistakes With Photos!
Mistake #7: No clear backup strategy. Once you have all your digital memories in one place, they need to be backed up. Your digital data is more at risk than your physical media. Not only is it at risk for a natural disaster, but also viruses, computer failures, power surges and the like. Create a backup plan that employs the 3-2-1 strategy. Three copies of your data, on two different mediums and one stored off site.
Mistake #6: Not transferring to your hub consistently. Once you have set up your hub, it is important to consistently add your latest photos to it, whether it is from your camera or your phone. In order for the hub and backup strategy to be effective, the hub has to be up to date. Pick a day each month that you will do photo maintenance and include photo transfer to your hub as one of your tasks.
All of the above are important steps you can take to protect your story and leave a legacy. Even employing one of the steps above will bring you closer to an organized collection so that you can find the photos you are looking for. If you would like help with any of these or have questions, please reach out. I am passionate about helping people save and share their memory collections.
Rhoda Gordon is a local certified photo manager, owner of Sunflower Photo Solutions and creator of DIG YOUR PHOTOS!, a DIY photo organizing kit. Rhoda has been helping families and businesses organize and back up their print and digital collection for almost a decade. See more tips, tricks and how-tos on her Youtube channel: youtube.com/@digyourphotos and check out sunflowerphotosolutions.com and digyourphotos.com for guidance and support with you media collection.
