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Step 1
Decide what kind of old photos you are interested in collecting so you know what to ask for when you search for them. For example, you might specialize in early portraiture, or perhaps you want to collect old snapshots of your favorite vacation destinations.
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Step 2
Attend estate sales. At estate sales, you can often find discarded family photographs, especially old ones. You may even find entire photograph albums. When you arrive at the estate sale, ask one of the facilitators if any photographs are included in the estate.
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Step 3
Shop at antique malls. Individual antique stores can be good places to find a few photos, but when dozens of vendors are under one roof, you're bound to find a wide selection of photos.
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Step 4
Peruse thrift stores. Though especially old photographs don't often show up at thrift stores, you can sometimes find some interesting mid-century snapshots still in albums. These tend to be quirkier than photos you might find in an antique store.
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Step 5
Preserve your finds! Professionally frame the photos you especially prize, using archival materials. Keep others in archival albums or files. Photos should be kept out of direct light to avoid fading.
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Step 1
Decide whether you want to collect photographs as an investment or as a way to surround yourself with objects you love. If you are investing, allow yourself to spend more than if you are just buying out of love.
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Step 2
Visit galleries that specialize in photography. When you find photography you are interested in, ask to speak to the owner. Find out more about the condition and age of the photographs, the number of editions printed, the gallery's relationship with the photographer and the gallery's history. Avoid buying from galleries that can't provide this information readily.
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Step 3
Attend auctions by large auction houses, such as Sotheby's. Auction houses hold preview days twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. During previews, you can view the art to be auctioned at close range and decide which photos to bid on.
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Step 4
Hire an art advisor. If you are primarily interested in making investments in photography, an art advisor will help you seek out the best of new talent and the most affordable of the classics.
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Step 5
Understand pricing. Generally, older prints are worth more initially. However, photographs appreciate over time--even new editions of classic photographer's work. Also, even though photography is reproducible, it does raise in value just like any good piece of art.
