Kishy's Guide to Photo Archival

March 15, 2025

Introduction

We all have memories—and memories we desperately want to protect. Yet keeping those moments safe seems to be a fading idea as everything becomes so digitally transient and hard to preserve.

Today, I’m taking you on a journey I’ve been on myself: safeguarding the moments that mean the most—the story of our lives, our loved ones, and our identities. Because, honestly, isn’t that what life’s all about? I just want you to be able to lie in your 80s, looking at these preserved, disconnected moments that you once dismissed as trivial, slowly coming together into a narrative that makes you smile and cry at the same time.

So, shall we start?

Get it Physical

Digital may feel fleeting, but I believe that printing your memories is the only way they’ll truly last. In the coming weeks, I’m planning to pick and choose my best pictures and get them printed on acid-free paper. (I’m also linking to ente’s blog on physical photo archival, which covers everything you need to know about preserving physical photos.)
Read ente’s blog here

Digital Storage

Now comes the inevitable digital part. Sure, if you have all your photos printed, that’s awesome—but given how many pictures we click these days, the cost and convenience of digital backups are too good to ignore. It makes sense to have multiple backups, so here are your options:

• M-Disk
  M-disks are these fancy disks made with non-organic matter that claim to last for centuries. We haven’t lived long enough to fully test that, but they’re considered the gold standard for professional archival. Just don’t rely on them as your only backup.

  

• Hard Drives
  Traditional spinning hard drives can last up to 10 years. I’m currently using two LUKS-encrypted drives—each about 5 years old—to store all my photos. It’s not ideal, but it’s what I can afford right now. Just remember to read and write to your drives at least once a year to keep them happy.

• Cloud
  This one’s controversial. I’m personally not a fan of the cloud, but if you decide to use it, you can technically tar up your files (or use another compression method), encrypt them with GPG, and then upload to any cloud service. Just be sure to use a strong password. It might serve as a good backup in case all your other copies fail.

Final Thoughts

Preserving your photos is more than just a technical task—it’s an act of love and rebellion against time. Whether you’re meticulously printing your favorite memories or setting up multiple digital backups, every step you take is a promise to your past and a gift to your future.

So, get out there and start your photo archival. Your memories deserve nothing less than a thoughtful home—both in print and in bits.

Keep clicking, keep preserving, and above all, keep cherishing the moments that make you, you!