Monday, November 28, 2011

Tips for passing down family photos in the digital age


(ARA) - For many years, photography meant developing a roll of film at the local store, sliding your glossy prints into a photo album and then placing them on your bookshelf. Digital photography changed all that, and now your photos live on computers, hard drives, CDs, USB drives and even your phone. But just because photos rarely go into leather-bound albums doesn't mean that they're any less precious. The evolution of photography has changed the ways in which we use photos - and it makes sense to think differently about how to preserve and pass on your treasured memories.

Consider these tips for preserving photos in the digital age and beyond.

* Select. Digital photography lets you take almost countless photos - far more than you could capture with a roll of film. But this volume of pictures can often overwhelm the family photo curator who needs to sort, evaluate and store hundreds or even thousands of images after a single vacation or special event. To avoid image overload, whenever you add new photos to your collection, edit out as many as you can. You'll end up with the best photos of the bunch and won't have to wade through an endless array of shots just to reach your favorites.

* Share. As much as taking photos is about capturing memories for yourself, it's also a great way to share experiences with friends and family. And for sharing, digital photography and social media is a match made in heaven - instead of sending off prints with holiday cards, you can quickly upload them to the Web. If you want to share a single snapshot at a moment's notice, you can post directly to Twitter or even use photo-centric social media apps. For larger groups of photos, from your latest vacation or baby's first year, add albums to Facebook or other photo hosting and sharing sites - just be sure to provide captions so everyone knows what they're looking at.

* Preserve. SanDisk issued results from an online survey conducted on its behalf by Harris Interactive from July 28-August 1, 2011 among 2,294 U.S. adults aged 18 and older which found that 79 percent of U.S. adults with digital photos plan on passing them down to future generations. But holding onto digital photos for long periods of time can prove nerve wracking if you are unsure whether the storage technology will preserve your photos far into the future. CDs can scratch and external hard drives contain moving parts.

To meet this need, SanDisk developed a photo album for the digital age called the SanDisk Memory Vault, a new device that can preserve digital photos in their original quality for up to 100 years.  About the size of a pack of cards, the Memory Vault plugs into a computer's USB port, letting you drag and drop your favorite photos onto the device and keep your history of precious memories close at hand. Whether you need a convenient way to preserve your own photos or want to surprise your family historian, the Memory Vault can pass down your important photos for years - and even generations - to come. For more information, visit www.sandisk.com.

Photos are among the best ways to relive and share our most cherished memories. They often remind us of moments we forgot and can bring a joyful time back to life in an instant. Make the most of your photo collection by selecting your favorite images, sharing them with family and friends and preserving them for generations to come.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Don't go without saying something. I would love to read your comments. BUT no junk comments please.