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Post by epeanymous on Jul 5, 2023 5:24:02 GMT
I am going to post in GS too.
My inlaws are selling one of their houses and asked if we wanted their photo albums. We are talking about maybe 12-15 very large 1970s and 80s sticky albums.
What if anything do I do at this point? The photos have been in the albums for 35-50 years--do I remove them, is damage being done, help! It's daunting.
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Post by ScrapbookMyLife on Jul 5, 2023 9:07:34 GMT
If the photographs will come out of the albums easily, then I would remove them and scan them.
If the photographs, are stuck in the albums and removing them would cause damage, then I would leave them as is.
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Post by joblackford on Jul 5, 2023 19:31:00 GMT
I agree. I would try to remove them gently, maybe starting with a photo you care less about in each, just in case it takes some trial and error to get them out safely. If you can't easily remove them but can peel back the plastic on top you could "scan" them by taking photos of the photos. It's better than nothing.
But most of the damage will have already been done by now, and some of the film used in those years deteriorated very quickly regardless of what album they were in. Most of my childhood photos (late 70s) are pink and purple.
More importantly I would suggest talking with the family and getting as many stories and names/dates recorded as you can, maybe selecting which photos are most important to keep and focusing your preservation efforts on those. Many of the photos are probably not so meaningful by now. You could scan or "scan" the ones that are most precious and make some kind of album or photobook with the details you know and toss or store the rest.
It is a daunting task but you're not obliged to save every single photo, or do anything really. Leaving them as they are is OK - that's what would've happened if they weren't moving. Not every photo is equally valuable.
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,688
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 6, 2023 9:26:15 GMT
I would also try to remove them if you can. Some of those old albums are horribly sticky, I know others have had success getting photos out with undu or using dental floss to lift the photo off the backing sheet, but honestly if they don't come out reasonably easily, I'd be inclined to leave them as they are. It is a daunting task but you're not obliged to save every single photo, or do anything really. Leaving them as they are is OK - that's what would've happened if they weren't moving. Not every photo is equally valuable. I think this is really good advice. I'm guilty of believing every photo is precious and should be given the same importance, and would do well to remember this in my own projects. |
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Post by marg on Jul 6, 2023 12:38:43 GMT
I've successfully removed photos from albums from the 1980s. I did slightly tear one or two, but I scanned them and fixed them as best as I could in Photoshop. I emailed everyone in my family the scanned photos. Those are the ones I scrap, too. I put the originals into a photo case and store them in a box with slides and other originals I have. Really, though, I could scrap the original because no one wants them anyway, but at least if my son decides he does want them some day it's easier to grab a photo case than a bunch of scrapbook albums.
Now I'm getting bummed at the thought of all the photos that people don't want anymore. My parents gave me all of their albums, too. They just don't seem to be emotionally attached to them the way that I am.
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Post by grammadee on Jul 6, 2023 13:56:58 GMT
Are they behind an upper plastic that will pull away from the photos without tearing them? Can you pull back the plastic and photograph each page of photos? I would leave the pic's where they are in the albums for now so that you have a time frame for reference. If you select a photo of group of photos to scrap, you can print it from the pic of the page. The only reason I could see for pulling the photos off the sticky background is if there is writing on the back.
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Post by riversong1963 on Jul 6, 2023 21:11:23 GMT
I agree with scanning them before removing them, just in case any of them get damaged in the removal process. Also, there are many scanning and photo editing programs that will restore a photo's original colors. I've done it with some of the photos from when I was little, and it is amazing what can be done quite easily.
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scrappinwithoutpeas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,013 
Location: Northern Virginia
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Post by scrappinwithoutpeas on Jul 7, 2023 3:35:19 GMT
I agree. I would try to remove them gently, maybe starting with a photo you care less about in each, just in case it takes some trial and error to get them out safely. If you can't easily remove them but can peel back the plastic on top you could "scan" them by taking photos of the photos. It's better than nothing. But most of the damage will have already been done by now, and some of the film used in those years deteriorated very quickly regardless of what album they were in. Most of my childhood photos (late 70s) are pink and purple.More importantly I would suggest talking with the family and getting as many stories and names/dates recorded as you can, maybe selecting which photos are most important to keep and focusing your preservation efforts on those. Many of the photos are probably not so meaningful by now. You could scan or "scan" the ones that are most precious and make some kind of album or photobook with the details you know and toss or store the rest. It is a daunting task but you're not obliged to save every single photo, or do anything really. Leaving them as they are is OK - that's what would've happened if they weren't moving. Not every photo is equally valuable. To be fair joblackford , in your avatar photo, you're quite pink and purple now, LOL !   Seriously though, I agree with peeling back the plastic as carefully as you can, scanning, then removing them from the sticky page where you can do so safely. And yes - it is a great reminder that not every single photo is equally valuable - definitely worth remembering that for me! |
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