tommyleong.com's blog

Here is an interesting article about storing our precious memories in computer instead of the traditional photographic prints. Nowadays with digital cameras, most people tend NOT TO PRINT their photographs. They will store them in computer hard disk or in CDROM. Most of the time, these hard disk DO NOT HAVE ANY BACKUPS. If and when these hard disk fail , ( as they sometimes do ) all our digital photos will be lost FOREVER.

From the article:

Survey warns for Memory loss
Adam Olliffe added: “When it does fail all data is then lost with no chance of retrieval. Businesses will always consider data backup as a crucial part of their IT infrastructure, however most home users will not address this issue until it is too late.” Alarmingly, 81% of those who regularly saved images on a PC did not have any form of back-up. A further concern is for the 24% of those surveyed who print images using an inkjet printer.

Wilhelm research company
According to the Wilhelm Research Company the problem with earlier inkjet printer models was that printed images faded rapidly, in as much as 6 weeks under adverse conditions. Despite improvement in the quality of printers there is still cause for concern. “Papers are usually matched to particular manufacturers’ inks set to optimise drying times and ink spread,” says FujiFilm’s spokesperson, Darren Peake. “A mismatch of paper and ink can lead to premature image deterioration. Longevity will also depend on storage, heat, light, and humidity.” According to the survey only 10% of digital camera owners use high street stores to obtain images, a figure which surprises Fujifilm particularly when the research reveals that 59% know that a conventional print lasts longer than other options.

more from the article:

http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/14532/memory-loss/

From my own personal experience, I can say that the old prints from my younger days and even from my dad’s old Black&White photos, they do have an amazing ability to outlast a lot of things. Especially the old Black&White photos have amazing ability to withstand fade and other corrosion, fungus etc.

I am very glad that my dad printed his photos and wish he had printed more. I could only see certain segments/ periods of his life. A whole lot more of his life is not in print.
The Visual journal is kinda of missing many pieces.