Archiving Photos
Film photographs have a negative which can be used to make future prints. Digital images can be printed at any time from a copy of the original file. Archiving images is the process of keeping a copy of a digital file and associated information for future use. While storing images on a computer's hard drive makes it quick and easy to access the images, there is a risk of losing photos in the event of hard drive failure. While some photos can be recreated somewhat easily, others would be more difficult or impossible. Since the panorama below of West Pier in Brighton was taken, the pier has been destroyed, making it impossible to recreate the photo.
While there are many methods for archiving files, one of the most common is burning the files to a CD or DVD. Many computers come with burners, and the media is relatively long lasting and inexpensive. CDs have the advantages of costing less than DVDs and being readable by more computers. Although they cannot contain as much data as DVDs, which is a disadvantage for large collections, there is less wasted space when only a few files need to be burned. When burning files for archival purposes, the kind of CDs that can only be written once (CD-R) have better reliability over those that can be reused (CD-RW).
The minimum that should be archived is the "digital negative" or the original, unaltered image downloaded from the camera. Additional material that might go on an archival CD or DVD are final images, notes on shooting and editing, and cataloged information. The cataloging tips page has more information on how to catalog images. For images where a large amount of complex editing is done, intermediate editing steps could be saved as well. Final images should be saved in a lossless format. More information can be found on the file types tips page. The contents of the CD or DVD can be tracked by cataloging the images or making a printed reference sheet via Photoshop Elements' Contact Sheet feature.
At least two copies of the CD or DVD should be burned and stored in separate locations to prevent the loss of one from being a disaster. A safety deposit box or a fireproof safe are a good places to store images, but anywhere where the images are secure and protected from damage will work. Since the lifespan of a CD or DVD is unknown, from time to time it should be verified that the CD or DVD is still readable. Reburning the CD or DVD every few years allows the photographer to create newer copies of the data and to update the images to more modern file formats, if necessary.
