BBC: Why your early 2000s photos are probably lost forever

[Godfrey]

The best way to preserve your photos for the ages is to create a photo book of them, publish it, and register it with the Library of Congress. Provide the LoC a full digital or print example of the work for their archives.

G

 

[oldwino]

That is also a really good idea.


If I start printing photos for each year, I'll also put a USB stick with each photo album that contains all those images and more.

The problem with these stick flash drives is they do not last unless regularly used (energized). Even then, the estimate is the data will start corrupting in 3-5 years.

 

[Archiver]

The problem with these stick flash drives is they do not last unless regularly used (energized). Even then, the estimate is the data will start corrupting in 3-5 years.

Another option is to burn a M Disc with the appropriate images, perhaps.

 

[38Deardorff]

BBC article: Why your early 2000s photos are probably lost forever​

if the link does not work, search for "Why your early 2000s photos are probably lost forever"

"If you used a digital camera in the early 2000s, there's a good chance whole chapters of your life have been erased.
A generation of photos has vanished on broken hard drives and defunct websites."

Probably true for many, but probably not so much for RFF members

are your negatives starting to look a better record of your life than digital memories ?

They always have been......

 

[Cascadilla]

Another option is to burn a M Disc with the appropriate images, perhaps.

The only problem with that strategy is the assumption that someone will have the player for that format in 50-100 years.

 

[boojum]

I have a very, very large cardboard box in my basement. In it are slides from ~1954 on. First taken with the Vito II that is my meme. Mostly Kodachrome and from there through my Army years in France and early marriage, from CT to CA. Different cameras.

But other than me, who really cares? Yeah, there may be some pretty good pics in there. We are awash in "pretty good" pics. My bit matters little if at all.