Taking lots of photos of the family is so important because kids grow up fast and before you know it, they will be moving out. Having plenty of memories will be very valuable as you get older and those photos can be passed down the generations so your great, great grandkids can get to know their family, even if they never had the chance to meet some of them.
Photos are also a brilliant way to bring the family together, especially if you live in different areas of the country or you travel around a lot. Even though you cannot see your family, you can still send them photos so they can see how you are all getting on.
Storing your photos correctly is so important, whether they are digital photos or physical ones. You want these photos to be here for generations to come, so it is important that you know how to look after them properly. These are the best ways to store all of your family photos:
Store Digital Photos On The Cloud
Most of the photos that you take these days will probably be digital. People do not tend to buy cameras unless they need them for professional purposes, because the camera on your phone is good enough for family snaps. It is so easy to take photos whenever you like, so you will have lots of great family pictures on your phone. However, you have to be careful about how you store them because, if your phone breaks, you could lose thousands of photos just like that. Backing your photos up to your computer is a good start, but even then, you risk losing them.
The easiest way to make sure that your photos are safe and you can access them on any new devices is to store them on the cloud. There are some great cloud storage services, like Google Photos, which are completely free. A lot of people ask, is google photos safe and will other people be able to access my photos? The short answer is, Google Photos is safe and other people can only access your photos if you log into your account and share them. Although there is always a small risk that somebody will break into your account, most hackers are not interested in your family photos, so you do not need to worry too much. Once they are stored in the cloud, you know that they are always there so if your phone or computer breaks, you will not loose anything. When you get a new phone, you just need to log into the Google Photos app and you can access all of your pictures right away.
Store Physical Photos In The Right Conditions
Even though the kids might not remember, there was a time when you could not take photos on your smartphone and upload them to the cloud in seconds, you had to have physical photos instead. If you have a lot of photos of grandparents that are not around anymore or family members that you never met, it is so important that you take care of them properly.
Unfortunately, old photos can be very fragile, so it is important that you store them in the right conditions. Humidity is a big problem for photos because, in a room where there is too much moisture, it can cause mold to grow and photos will start to stick together and the ink will run. However, if the room is too dry, the photos can become very brittle and start to crack. If you want your photos to stay in good condition, you need to store them in a room that has between 15% and 65% humidity. You can buy a humidity monitor to measure the levels of humidity in different rooms in your house, so you can find the perfect place to store your photos.
You also need to make sure that your photos are stored somewhere that is not too warm and they are away from direct light. This will keep them in good condition for years to come.
Put Them Into Albums
If you just put your photos in a big box, they are far more likely to get damaged. When you take them out, they will be dog eared and ripped, so you need a better way to store them. The best way to keep your photos in good condition is to put them all into albums. You can organize them by year or you can theme them however you like. If you have digital photos, you should get them professionally printed and add them to your albums as well. Having them all in albums keeps them safe and makes it easier to get them out and look through them whenever you like.
Family memories are so important, so make sure that you look after all of your family photos properly.