Photograph preserve

As long as technology keeps changing, digital storage is temporary: for instance, even if the medium in floppy disks was reliable, who still has a drive that can read them? The same is true for CDs, DVDs, HD DVD, Blu-Ray etc. The formatting systems for hard drives of just a few years ago may no longer be readable by current computers, and now we are moving quickly to solid-state disks to replace hard drives. So... best advice (at the moment). Keep one copy on DVD stored in a safe, dry and temperature controlled place; keep a second on a reliable hrd drive. Update them whenever the technology changes. Do not keep all the copies in the one place (what good is havig both sets in the same filing cabinet when the office catches fire?). Select the special ones and print them on archival grade paper, using high quality pigment type inks and store them in acid-free albums - The CDs/DVD copies should be OK for 5 to 10 years, the hard drive...who knows (how many HD crashes have you had in the last 3 years???), while properly printed and stored prints should go close to 180 years.

I keep all of my photos in digital format. I have a separate hard drive I use just for storing my photos. But I would also recommend backing all your photos up on CDs and/or DVDs as well! I scan any film prints I have and keep them in digital format as well.