What will happen to your negatives in "the end"?

[Serge S]

You guys are depressing me, but I guess we need to address the future at some point.

Why not let the images live to another generation - time has a way of creating interest.

What we see today as ordinary (not your photos, but some aspect/content in the image- cars for example or architecture)
often takes on new meaning with the passage of time. I see vintage photos all the time on instagram & am fascinated by the clothing, cars, buildings a lost time frozen - almost like cultural archeology !

[Tin Can]

not tossing anything

my will specs, sell it all

I have Pro seller lined up

Cash to step daughter, she is 52

NO Death Ceremony

Cremate and pour ashes anywhere easy

dust to dust

Amen

[Eric Woodbury]

One of the Weston grandkids used to make a print and dry-mount the neg to the back. Some only shoot Polaroid. The Famous transfer them to the Archive in Tucson at the Univ of Arizona. Morley Baer's negs went to UC Santa Cruz. Brett Weston made a big deal about burning his negs, but it was largely a publicity stunt. The Smithsonian accepts everything.

Giving negs or prints to an institution isn't much assurance. If a new regent or curator appears on the scene, they may sell or trade these items at will. Room is tight.

As the light at the end of the tunnel becomes brighter, I hope to print portfolios. And let's face it: We've seen the discussion here on LF forum, how many images do you make to get a good one? Lots. Let's throw out the duds because if we can't print them, who can or will? Or put them on the funeral pyre.

EjW

[Mark Sawyer]

I used to worry about all my prints and negatives ending up in a dumpster. Then I switched to wet plate, problem solved! Now I just worry about all my tintypes ending up in a dumpster...

[Oren Grad]

My wife of 54 years died last Sunday. She died at home in bed with cancer. I awoke at 5:30am and held her hand. She died seconds later.

Very sorry to hear that... condolences to you and yours.

[LabRat]

A small-time art dealer told me once that the problem with me was that I was alive, because it is easier to sell a dead artist... I suggested I should "fake" my death and act as my own agent... But forget openings with wine out of cubetainers...

The practical answer is in estate planning and what you request done with your body of work... Research sooner than later...

It could pay off for someone else... Look at that body of work from Vivian Meyer...

Steve K

[Mark Sawyer]

The Famous transfer them to the Archive in Tucson at the Univ of Arizona. Morley Baer's negs went to UC Santa Cruz. Brett Weston made a big deal about burning his negs, but it was largely a publicity stunt. The Smithsonian accepts everything...

Giving negs or prints to an institution isn't much assurance. If a new regent or curator appears on the scene, they may sell or trade these items at will. Room is tight

We're well into the digital age, and even a prolific photographer with a long career can put his/her images, writings, etc. on a small thumb drive and donate copies to multiple institutions, which without much work can make them available online. A small donation from the photographer or estate could guarantee the digital archive will be available for a long time, with some funds left over to support the hosting institution. I don't know of anyone doing this yet, but it seems likely it's happening or will soon. Digital storage is cheap and getting cheaper.

But the physical items, yeah...

[Alan Klein]

I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon BUT I am in the process of scanning (drum, high-resolution etc) 30+ years of 4x5, 8x10, 6x6 and 617 negatives. While I have printed many of them, sold a few over the years and have some in process of going into a future book for the family, I realized that while they will exist in a digital realm on DropBox or other backup medium, there aren't too many things that will happen after that last shutter click and drop of photoflo going down the drain. If you aren't Adams, Sexton, Weston(s), Tice, Arentz, White, etc. etc. what happens?

Contemplating....

Your wife's next husband will through them all out.

[Alan Klein]

My wife of 54 years died last Sunday. She died at home in bed with cancer. I awoke at 5:30am and held her hand. She died seconds later.

She was a graduate in Interior Design (1966) from the U of Florida.
We lived in Montreal from 1968 to 1978. I am English and she is American.
Then we moved to Jacksonville FL.

In the early 1980's she made a business out of her art talent as a painter particularly water color.
She retired at 75 in 2019 after painting about 1000 watercolor paintings of mostly children (Gwen Cooper Portraits)
My life long interest in photography allowed her to "take over" my cameras except for the 4x5.
Over the years I would take an 4x5 E6 transparency of each painting for her records and the client could use it to make a giclee print of the original.

Fuji E6 will last, but what do I do with them?

I'm sorry for your loss. It seems you two had an amazing life together.

[Serge S]

Digital archives can be problematic as the storage media / technology is fluid and changes & the data needs to be migrated periodically.

We're well into the digital age, and even a prolific photographer with a long career can put his/her images, writings, etc. on a small thumb drive and donate copies to multiple institutions, which without much work can make them available online. A small donation from the photographer or estate could guarantee the digital archive will be available for a long time, with some funds left over to support the hosting institution. I don't know of anyone doing this yet, but it seems likely it's happening or will soon. Digital storage is cheap and getting cheaper.

But the physical items, yeah...