First, what is an archival image? Some would say it is any image that will last for 100 years, or a lifetime. Others go to the extreme and say it must last forever to be considered archival. Well, it is a subjective term having more than one meaning, depending on who is the recipient of the image. After all, if you take a great shot and only want it to be available for 15 years, then your archival requirement is 15 years. One of the great photographers, Ed Weston, destroyed all of his negatives when he was older, because no one could duplicate his work, and he did not want others interpreting his work. His requirement for archival images was his photographic lifetime only. The Library of Congress probably has a different definition of archival.

Storage is critical if you want to keep the images for a lifetime. The storage area must be dark, cool and dry (70ºF at 40% relative humidity). In a recent article in Popular Photography, some of the films were rated for archival longevity. Current films were rated as follows: Fujichrome - 40 years, Kodachrome – 200 years, Fujicolor Superia – 20 years, Ektachrome – 120 years, Fujicolor NPS – 100 years, and Agfachrome RSX – 35 years. B&W films such as Tmax, TriX Pan, and other silver oxide layer films are archival up to 500 years or longer. However, the new B&W films (Scala, Kodak T400CN, and Ilford XP2), which are slide processed or C-41 processed, do not have the longevity since they are dye type films. I don't have the data on these films, but I would compare them to the 40 to 75 year crowd. Not too surprising, Kodachrome is still the long life slide. But, that is a result of its processing method, being very different from other films. Kodachrome is basically a black and white film. The color is added during the processing, unlike other chromes that have color layers. Fujichromes (velvia, sensia, and RDP) have a shorter archival life, but it's still beyond most peoples expectations (that's what they said about needing only two digits for recording years in computer programs, hence the Y2K problem). But it was surprising to me that the E-6 processed Ektachromes (Ektachrome, Elite, and E100/200) have a life of 120 years. Most impressive.

Another area of archival worry is the final print. Prints very greatly, but the ability of a print to hold true color is improving all the time. The best way to handle prints may be to make a digital image, print it using a quality printer, and then save the file. Re-print it every five years, or so, whenever it fades and merely replace it. No one can duplicate a print exactly, so we should attempt to create a printing process that is as repeatable as possible. Digital imaging is the only means available now that can accomplish that -- and it's easy!

So, in conclusion, determine your archival needs for images and take the appropriate measures. Keep your originals out of intense light (projectors), keep them cool, dark and dry, make duplicates as needed, and use the correct film. Momma, please don't take my Kodachromes awaaayyyyyy......

Lanny Sanders

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