Hi All,
Just thought I would open up a new discussion topic, about something that struck a chord with me while I was looking for links to help M-C with her recovery effort. I have had to search again this morning to find the link because I didn't bookmark it at the time...LOL Silly me....doh.... ;o)
Note to M-C: I think that this would be a useful link to put on the RCS website for new scrappers. What do others think?
Here is the link:
formatting link
Now for the topic...LOL This article seems to suggest that colour photography has unpredictable longevity. It mentions specifically that when the photographs are of special life events, i.e. weddings, christenings, graduations, etc. we should be making sure that the processing is archival! Yet we are all scrapbooking away merrily believing that we are preserving family memories for generations to come. Are we?? Do we know how our photos have been processed? I know that loads of mine taken in the 70's/80's are a weird colour although they have never been in albums or exposed to the light! They were not processed at an hour processing booth either! I have one photo of my seven year old granddaughter as a baby that has almost faded of the page. It was done at an hour service, so it seems that these fast processing booths may be problematic since seven years is not a long time. Personally, I scrap for my own enjoyment and while I am not a purest (just try to be careful) I know that lots of folks are AF/LF scrapbookers! I scan and print my photos at home and keep my originals intact (couldn't cut them up), stored in water tight box in my scraproom (in the attic). I print my digital photos and write them to several CD's along with the scanned images from my originals I've scrapped. The way I backup they end up appearing on several CD's...so if one breaks down I should be able to get them from another CD I have written them to. That's the theory anyway...LOL At some point I should think about doing them all onto DVD but I would need to get a DVD writer....onto the Wish List with that thought :o) I live at the top of a fairly steep hill and my house foundations are above the roofline of houses 20 yards away. Chance of flood damage....very, very low! I am still pondering the other possibilities I should be addressing...fire being one!!
I hear people saying that they need to nip to Costo/Kinkos or where ever to get more photos developed for their next LO's. I am presuming that these places are instant-processing while you wait! Are they similar to prints done at home or are they a short chemical process? So how good are the prints going to be long-term? Will they last 5 years, 25 years, 50 years? I am just throwing my thoughts out there to make others think about their photos, which are their precious memories
For those that use the original photos in their scrapbooks.....will they last as long as they believe? Have they any backup copies of their photos should they fade? I don't want to worry or upset anyone but I am interested in what others think. I also hope that this topic might also help provide lots of different ideas for new folks...like me!!!
Take care, Marilyn