To many of us who are getting older, memories are best preserved in the pictures we have collected. Formerly we were told to preserve not only the picture but also the negative; then other prints could be made. Now young people don’t even know what a negative is! How can I safely preserve my digital memories?

First, make sure you take plenty of pictures and have family members do the same. Since it doesn’t cost any more to take extra pictures, take many more than you want to keep. I purchased a large memory card for my digital camera in preparation for a special trip last summer. When I got home, in spite of taking lots of pictures, my camera said I could still take another 10,000 pictures without running out of memory!

After collecting your numerous pictures, delete the ones that are not clear, exposure is wrong, people are frowning or in the shadows, or duplicates. Don’t feel you have to keep every picture. On the other hand, don’t be shy about keeping one that is special, though it isn’t your best shot. It only costs computer memory to keep them.

Computer programs are available to set up photo albums so that pictures are cataloged by event, date, subject, whatever you like. Be sure to identify each picture as to place, time, event. I have many colored slides taken by my parents in Europe but I don’t how of what they are taken. Clear labels can minimize this frustration.

At this point you may feel you are done with your project. But take a second to think about the fragility of your memories. One crash of your hard drive and you may lose everything! Or if you have them on floppies, the media may be obsolete and they are as good as erased! Floppies are also vulnerable to magnetic fields.

Formerly we thought CDs were more secure. Since nothing needed to touch the surface, nothing wore out. But simple scratches, breaks, or heat damage could destroy your memories.

Start with this suggestion: store all your pictures additionally in another place and on copies in other parts of your home. That is, if you put them on a CD, make copies and store at least one copy in another home, at work, in a safety deposit box. Be sure to back up your hard drives and, if possible, subscribe to a service that backs up your data on a server somewhere else. As media changes, backup your memories on the new media. Think what you would have if your precious pictures were only on 5 ¼ floppy disks!

Today without printing, we can take huge numbers of pictures and share them with just about anyone at no cost. But with this decrease in expense, don’t forget the fact that no amount of money can bring them back if they are permanently deleted.

Following these tips should benefit you. But if you’re more interested in a professional handling your photography, consider the services of Expressions Photography, an experienced Virginia Beach Photography. See their website portfolio for results.