The 100,000 Photo Rescue Project by ScanMyPhotos

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The Hundred-Thousand Photo Rescue Project: Turning Mountains of Photos into Digital History

For decades, the most challenging part of digitizing photos was not just scanning. It was protecting fragile prints and trusting experts to handle them. Now, ScanMyPhotos is launching the 100,000 Photo Rescue Project. The idea originated from lessons learned in our role with the Cayman Islands TimeBack Project. The goal is clear. Bulk scanning is urgent and necessary.

Large projects bring order to decades of memories. They protect photos from fading, loss, or disaster. Digital files make archives easy to search and share. Most of all, they turn overwhelming piles of pictures into lasting memories to share and preserve. Discover the compelling reasons for the urgent need for bulk photo scanning.

Why Saving Massive Photo Collections Has Been So Hard

If you have boxes, bins, or vaults full of photos, you’re not alone. Families, museums, corporations, and historical societies across the country face the same challenge: what to do with thousands — or even 100,000 — vintage photographs.

The scanning part is easy. The real challenge has always been logistics. How do you move irreplaceable photos safely and securely? How do you ensure they’re handled with care, tracked along the way, and returned intact?

Digitizing pictures is this fast at ScanMyPhotos: we digitize two photographs every second. All work is handled at the company’s corporate headquarters in Irvine, CA.

The TimeBack Cayman Islands Project inspired the Hundred-Thousand Photo Rescue. That cultural preservation effort revived an entire nation’s photographic heritage. Several large museums and organizations have also turned to ScanMyPhotos to digitize their massive, decades-old collections. Building on those successes, ScanMyPhotos introduces the 100,000 Photo Rescue Project, with simple online ordering.

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Working alongside Compass Media and Dart, ScanMyPhotos digitized 347,000 negatives from the Cayman Compass archive — an extraordinary collection spanning decades of Cayman Island history. What made TimeBack so groundbreaking was its holistic approach, which included community engagement. A team of historians, journalists, artists, and citizens helped review and contextualize the images. It led to a nationwide social media sharing on Instagram and an exhibit at their National Gallery.

Digitization at Scale:

High-speed professional scanning equipment is essential for this effort. Stacking 100,000 photos would create a tower exceeding eight stories, filling 56 banker boxes of memories.

The 96% Problem: Why Photos Can’t Stay Hidden

At ScanMyPhotos, we asked every customer a straightforward question: “When was the last time you looked at your printed photos?” The answer shocked us. 96% of all analog photographs haven’t been viewed since the day they were developed. That means almost every photo you took before the digital era has been sitting in boxes, envelopes, or albums—out of sight, forgotten, and at risk.

Why It’s Important to Revise Your Old Photos

• Memories are fading twice: The images are physically deteriorating, and the stories behind them are slipping away as people grow older.
• Generations are disconnected: Without digitization, children and grandchildren may never see the moments that shaped their family history.
• Disasters don’t wait: Floods, fires, and accidents can erase decades of history in minutes.
• Digitizing is not just about convenience. It’s about going back in time to rescue, revisit, and share those snapshots before it’s too late.

What We Learned From TimeBack

The Cayman Islands project shaped how we designed the Hundred-Thousand Photo Rescue Project. Here are the three essential lessons:

• Scale matters: Large volumes unlock efficiencies in time, organization, and cost.
• Storytelling adds value: People care about what the images mean, not just the files themselves. Context and shared stories breathe life into archives.
• Logistics must be bulletproof: From secure courier pickup to GPS tracking and concierge oversight, every step must inspire trust.

What This Means for You

With the 100,000 Photo Rescue Project, you can finally tackle even the most extensive collections with confidence.

35 years of experience: ScanMyPhotos has preserved one billion images since 1990.

Proven infrastructure: The same archival systems that underpinned this CBS Evening News and USA Today feature safeguard your collections.

Benefits of Scanning 100,000 Photos

• Pay a starting price of $30,000 to digitize your collection of 100,000 pictures (30 cents per image), including free round-trip secured courier service and GPS tracking for real-time updates.
• Personal oversight: A dedicated Photo Concierge Archivist manages your entire project.
• Future-ready files: Choose between JPEGs for everyday use or upgrade to archival-quality TIFF files for long-term preservation and optimal image quality. Beyond simplified online ordering, you can upgrade to enhance your order, such as adding professional 600 dpi resolution and other popular add-ons.

How to Prepare Your Photo Collection For Scanning

All standard 3″ x 5 1/2 – 8″ x 10″ photographs must be out of albums and follow these guidelines.  

Pricing Guidelines for Digitizing 100,000 Pictures (subject to change)

• Includes front-of-the-line expedited scanning services
• First 10,000 scans will be uploaded within a few business days of receipt from our courier service. The add-on services require a little more time.
• Add-ons options: 
• 600dpi – $4,750
• TIFF files – $8,750
• Image rotate – $4,750
• Fix & restore – $2,750
• Scan in order – $3,750
• Hard cover photo index books – $9,750 (includes Rotate)

Your Photo Memories, Preserved and Protected

Imagine the peace of mind that comes with your boxes of old photos, which once seemed unmanageable, now being safely digitized, searchable, and shareable. The images don’t just sit hidden away. They become living resources, ready to be shared with family, colleagues, or an entire community.

FAQ: The Hundred-Thousand Photo Rescue Project

How long does it take to digitize 100,000 photos? Orders are processed efficiently, and you can choose express scanning for urgent needs. Our photo archivists are ready to assist with your archival requirements. Depending on the size of the order and any requested upgrades, projects can be completed in phases. Express scanning upgrades are also available.

What happens to my original photos? Your originals are tracked with GPS, handled with care, and returned in the same order they were received after digitization is complete.

Can I choose different formats for my digital files? Yes. Standard scans are 300 dpi JPEGs, but you can upgrade to 600 dpi JPEGs or archival TIFF files for maximum quality and long-term preservation.

👉 Begin your rescue today. The hundred-thousand photo rescue project is revolutionizing the preservation of history.

Your photos aren’t waiting — they’re fading. Visit ScanMyPhotos.com to get started. You will be assigned to a personal concierge photo archivist throughout the entire project. Tap to ask questions.