We’ve already talked about photo preservation and by now you’ve removed all of your photos from the magnetic albums and/or shoeboxes. What do you do now? Organize them!
There are a few approaches to organizing your pictures. You can sort by theme or chronology:
- Theme – organized by type of event (vacations, wedding, birthday) or person
- Chronological –centered around a particular year with various events included in it
I prefer the theme method because it’s easiest for me to organize around. I sort through my pictures and determine general themes that emerge—friends, family, jobs, pets, etc. If there isn’t a description on the back of the picture, I write down the date, time and place (if known) with a blue photo-marking pencil. I’ll use this information later when I design my pages.
Photo Storage
After everything has been categorized, I put the photos into archival-safe Cropper Hopper Photo Organizers. Old shoeboxes are the worst place to put your photos because they’re acidic and contain lignin.
Photo organizers come in various styles and sizes to suit your storage needs. When you have new photos to add, just place them in the appropriate category in your filing system. Don’t store photos with staples, paper clips or tape.
Digital Photo Storage and Organization
If you have digital photos, similar tips apply.
- You may want to get a dedicated hard drive to store your pictures.
- Next, determine how you want your files to be organized—by theme or by chronology, and set up folders on your hard drive.
- After you’ve taken your shots, upload them to your hard drive in the appropriate folder.
- Consider purchasing software like iPhoto (Mac), Adobe Photoshop Elements (Mac, Windows) or Adobe Photoshop with Bridge (Mac, Windows) which have built-in photo management tools.
For more tips on organizing digital photos, read this three-part series, “Dealing With Digital Overload.”
Questions or tips to share? Leave them in the comments box below.
i now know what to put on my Christmas lists! Thanks!!