Wedding photos are irreplaceable, so taking care of them is essential. Many couples, however, make mistakes without realizing it, causing their wedding photos to get ruined in some otherwise avoidable accident. These are four common yet critical mistakes that you should avoid in order to keep and maintain the pictures from your big day.
Get Your Photos Off the Ground
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 13 million Americans are in danger of having their homes flooded. A report from City Lab suggests that number is much closer to 41 million. If your home becomes flooded and your photos are stored on the first floor, chances are they will be ruined. Therefore, you should never store your photos on the first floor of your home. Instead, store photos on the second floor or higher of your home in waterproof containers. It is also important that photos be stored below 75 degrees Fahrenheit at all times.
Stacking Print Photos is a Major Mistake
According to All Storage Online, “When storing photos, it’s tempting to grab a shoebox, pop a few stacks of photos inside (or a USB drive) and call it a day. Don’t do this. It may seem like a spacesaver, but you should never store photos in stacks. Even in a climate controlled storage unit, there’s still the risk of these photos sticking together. This risk becomes even greater if you store photos in stacks for a long period of time.” Instead of stacking photos on top of each other, opt to put them inside protective sleeves that you can replace every seven years or in an album specially designed for photos. Even when you are not stacking them, it is important to store them at the right humidity, which, according to the National Archives & Records Administration, is between 15 percent and 65 percent. Stacked photos can become brittle if they are stored in humidity that is too low. Stacked photos can also become infested with pests when the humidity is too high.
Hanging Your Photos on Your Walls
Many couples choose to frame their photos and hang them on the walls of their home. This exposes them to dirt and sunlight, which can be two of the worst enemies of photos. According to Archival Methods, “The first and easiest way to avoid UV light exposure is to keep your framed photographs, artwork, or documents out of harm’s way by placing them on walls or shelves where they will not be exposed to sunlight through windows or skylights, or to overhead fluorescent lighting.” Another option would be to make a copy of the photo and hang it while keeping the original someplace where it’s safe. Be sure to only use acid-free matting materials.
Handling Your Photos
Handling your wedding photos can transfer grime and oils from your hands to the photos, causing them to be destroyed. Make sure to always wear white gloves when handling your photos. Even then, it is important to handle them only by the edges and as little as possible. Just in case something happens, never store your photos and the negatives in the same place.
Your wedding photos cannot be replaced, so take the necessary precautions to take care of them today. If you have been doing it wrong, take time to correct the situation immediately. Your wedding pictures contain priceless memories from a once in a lifetime event, so make sure that someday they’re still around to show your grandchildren. Let us help you capture and preserve those memories for good.
