Your souvenir photographs and old time photos can be among your favorite items from a vacation. Unfortunately, many people will not properly care for these photographs, which can expose them to a risk of being destroyed. To keep these one-of-a-kind photographs safe, you should follow these three basic care tips.
Avoid Touching The Photographs
It can be tempting to frequently handle the photograph while looking at it. However, frequently touching the photograph can cause serious damage to it. For example, the oils on your hands can get on the photograph, and once this happens, the oil can degrade the quality of photograph's pigments and paper. Ideally, you should place these photographs in a laminated binder to keep them safe from these contaminants. In the event that you must handle the photograph, you should either use latex gloves or gently wipe the photograph clean when you are done. When wiping the photograph, avoid using a cloth that is pigmented, as these colors can rub off onto the photograph.
Store The Photographs In A Dry And Cool Location
When you are storing these photographs, it is important to understand the damages that can occur if they are subjected to high levels of moisture or wide temperature swings. High moisture levels can lead to condensation forming on the photographs, which can cause them to grow mold or rot. Unfortunately, you may not frequently check the condition of your stored photographs, so you may not notice this problem until it has already caused extensive damage. If you live an area of the country where high-humidity can not be avoided, you should make sure to store your photographs in the most ventilated room in your home. Also, you may want to invest in humidity control devices, such as dehumidifiers and two-way humidity control packs.
Avoid Intense Sunlight Exposure
When you are displaying these photographs, you should make sure to position them so that they are not receiving direct sunlight. The light from the sun contains powerful ultraviolet rays of light that can breakdown the pigments in your photograph. Over time, this may cause the image to become faded or completely bleached.
If there is no way to avoid direct sunlight in the area where you want to display the photograph, you should apply a tinted film to the windows that can reflect these rays of light. This may seem like an extreme solution, but there may not be a better option for keeping these irreplaceable photographs safe from this damage.
Share21 December 2016
Ever since my parents allowed me to snap a few photos on their camera on vacation when I was a young child, I have loved photography. While we lived in the Midwest, I became hooked on taking photographs of the ocean and boats when we visited the Florida coast during one of our trips together. I found that just being near the ocean really made me happy, and after we returned home, I was able to "take the ocean with me" to experience that same feeling by taking photos of it. Being near the ocean is so calming and uplifting, but most people don't live near the coasts and don't get to experience its beauty every day. I now live by the ocean, so I decided to create a blog to share my tips about how you can best photograph the things you love.
