What do YOU do with the negatives after you get your film developed?

Question

I have tons and tons of negatives and I feel bad throwing them away, but they are accumulating and making a mess!

I am very organized in every other way... all my extra photos are stored in photo boxes, but in the back of the boxes are piles of negatives!

I'm afraid if I throw them out I might need them someday and not have them! But to continue to keep all of them seems crazy.... does anyone have a system?

(Part of my attachment is that I take pretty good pictures to begin with, and most of them are of my kids!)

I have a digital camera, I just prefer the regular 35mm!

Answer 1

Store them sorted by date, there are special holders that go into binders, but if you take the clear plastic binder pages that take sheets of paper, (sorry I do not know the name in English,) you can slip one or two sets in each page.
Close them at the top and label them with a sticky label with the date or subject of the photos. You can store years of photos in one binder that way.

If you throw them away you can never make them anew.
(I have never been that methodical with my negatives but do store my digital photos in a way like that, copies on DVD.)

Answer 2

Ohh negatives are so fun. I don't know if your a scrapbooker or anything like that, but you could make some pretty neat cards using your old photo negatives. All you do is cut out the center (picture portion) leaving all the border intact. Take some cutouts of pictures, or down sized pictures that fit within your cutout. Glue down the negative border, and then glue your little pictures inside the cutouts. It makes a real neat statement, and some terrific greeting cards, you can use for any occasion. Birthday cards useing pictures of birthday boy/girl, anniversary cards, thinking of you, you could also use pictures from your vacations to share with friends and family. The possibilities are endless, just use your imagination. You could even ask your kids for suggestions.

To lower your "stash" when you go to get your photos developed ask for a picture cd, that way if you need copys you can go in a get some more and you won't have all clutter to worry about. You can even load the pictures onto your computer, email them them to the store for more prints. The cd's are just really habdy to have around.
Anyways I hope this helps you.

Answer 3

I just add them to my dust-bunny collection, mostly. I save them for the same reason, maybe some day I'll want to make copies. Easier from the negatives than an actual print ( if you still have one ). So, decide on only keeping the best, and throw away some, or just keep them all in a clean, dry place.

Answer 4

Film? Negatives? Get with the digital program!!!

Negatives are getting pitched as I scan my way through the archives......

BTW, I've already converted all the old Camcorder footage to DVD, I'm fully prepared to embarrass the kids and grandkids digitally.

Answer 5

I put them in a file in my fire proof safe so if there is a fire I can get my pictures back ( I just put the negatives for my favorite pictures and toss the rest.)

Answer 6

I keep my negatives in files and they are organized by date.

Answer 7

i throw them in a rubbermaid container ..and put them on a shelf in a closet..i am like you and i dont want to throw them away..just in case..

you could also buy a fire proof safe..and throw them in there

if you want them organized...you can put them in ziploc bags..date them..and then put them in locking storage containers