Organizing is what you do before you do something so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up
— A. A. Milne
But with huge amounts of photos, how do we organize all of them well?
With taking photos being less and less expensive for a decade or so, people tend to take more and more pictures!
Photos can be used in advertising, branding, and for remembering great moments. It is priceless. But with vast amounts of photos, how do we organize all of them well? Here go our advice and expertise about photo organizing.
Photos are priceless
On average, each person has some 630 photos stored on their phone.
Isn’t that crazy?
No wonder, people are overwhelmed! But because photos are priceless, vital in our lives – almost irreplaceable – people will continue to take more of them! That’s why it is essential to learn how to manage and organize them well. To preserve good memories, enjoy them and yet not be overwhelmed with their number!
Why you should organize your photos
Organizing, sorting out, and keeping precious photographs are important because they often reflect yourself, help you to remember different times. And the day something happens to your home, should it burn or flood or something, your printed photos could be severely damaged or destroyed forever.
Besides, imagine also, should a thief break into your house, steal your laptop and you hadn’t backed up any of them, all your souvenirs – for instance, your wedding, your kid’s birthdays – would be gone. The worst can happen to your phone too. One day, if it drops in a sink, then all your pictures would be unrecoverable.
Moreover, a good reason why you should organize your photos is not to feel guilty every time you look at these shoeboxes full of pictures in the back of your closet. Another good reason is no wonder when you will finish the baby book, the wedding album, or your family photo book from last year or even before!
The truth is that we love photos, but often we let them aside or don’t print them. This way, we miss opportunities to remember efficiently and happily, so many good times. Trust us, and you don’t want to feel that way anymore! It is time to get back control of your pictures and to create ways to preserve them serenely.
That’s why we provided you with very accessible photos organizing tips to get these stacks of pictures and files in order and preserved once and for all!
Challenges for photos organizing
First, you must identify all your sources, all the types of memories and photos you have to sort out, classify, organize! In fact, of course, you will find that not all your photos are in digital format. Many of us still have numerous physical prints, which is useful in a way but can also become a challenge.
Nowadays, digital images are stored in various locations and via multiple devices: smartphones, tablets, cameras, computers, SD cards, USB sticks, hard drives, and on social media… So, how to make your way through this process?
Maybe, contrary to your beliefs, most families have little knowledge about this matter, a lack of understanding of the best practices, and have short or not backup systems at all. Indeed, many of our customers may be confused about technology and have fears about which software, applications, and cloud services to choose. That’s why we are here to help you. We want you to avoid photo chaos and risks for your digital memories.
Photos organization process
You should start by organizing your photos in simple photo storage albums. For instance, by trips, years, months, events if you can. As you go through them, you can select your favorites to be printed in a unique photo digital album. For your paper photos, create photo dividers to organize your photos better and leave some sections for locations, dates, notes, and memories that go along with it.
How to save and organize your photos
Because photos tend really to get lost on both paper and digital devices, it is, for instance, a good idea to save all of them on an external hard drive and the cloud. Of course, don’t forget within the process to scan your old photos to create digital copies! It includes slides and negatives too. Organize your digital photos and copies by year, and within each year by folder, we recommend that to have a unique number for each file or folder.
Six steps process for photos organizing
In general, follow the next six steps, and photos organizing will never be the same for you! Get your photos in order now!
First, be aware of your goals: is it to keep your photos for you and the next generations? Do you want to be able to find specific pictures to share them on a frame? If so, gather your views together! Look through your home and see all your printed photos, framed posters, photo albums, etc. Gather them all into one place in your house and bring your laptop with you! Don’t panic if you feel overwhelmed as you see it all together. After all, it is your family’s history we are talking about. It is worth preserving.
Next step: gather your tools. You should start with photo-safe storage boxes. Then, you can sort out your photos. One of the most common and logical way is to do it chronologically. Don’t worry, if it isn’t perfect at first. You can improve it later as needed.
Moreover, you can also sort them by events, topics—for example, vacations, birthday, Christmas’. Don’t forget to keep the negatives; they will be useful for the following. Throw away duplicates and too blurry shots.
Preserve your photos
Now, an important point: it is an excellent time to decide what you are going to do with your whole photo albums. We highly recommend you remove the pictures from older photo albums. These old albums are slowly destroying the quality of your precious photographs. Same with all family videos.
Scanning your photos
By scanning and digitizing your photos, you are creating backups, copies of your prints, contributing to preserving and sharing them. Useful tip: if you have negatives and slides, it is helpful to find a scanner that will scan them as well. It’s better to digitize the negatives; they will give you a more accurate color and clearer picture.
Enjoy your photos
Sorting and organizing is a means to the end. It is finally time to enjoy your photos, to celebrate and share them! You can now enjoy and transform your stories and photos into art, books, displays, objects, and so much more. It’s time to turn your photo stories into art, books, exhibitions, montage, and more. Take your favorite pictures, have them framed, and display them in your home. You can also use a digital picture frame to look out and enjoy your photos daily.
We hope that you will feel better about your photos organizing! If you need any help, don’t hesitate to contact us!