Simple
Steps for
Sorting
Printed Photos
The ABCs of Photo Organization
Deciding
what to keep can be overwhelming. Following a few simple guidelines can make this
process easier and I rely on the ABCs of photo organizing to stay on track.
A Stands for Album
These
photos are the most important and belong in an album. It’s important to
understand that not all photos need to go in an album. The ones you choose are
often the most personal, and cherished. Less is more!
B Stands for Box
Photos that
are important enough to keep should be stored in archive quality boxes for long
term storage, or backed up thoroughly if digitized.
C Stands
for Can
These
photos can go in the ‘trash can’ or your delete file. Toss duplicates, blurry
or unflattering photos, excess scenery photos, etc.
S Stands
for Story
This is
the most important part. Does the photo tell a STORY! Keep any photos that
clearly tell a story. An old blurry
photo may have your Dad’s first car in the background! Be careful you aren’t
tossing history.
Sorting
Photos
Our
natural tendency is to sort chronologically, but with today’s high volume of
photos it can be
overwhelming.
Whether you are organizing printed or digital photos, the process is always the
same.
Choose to
organize in themes that represent your life.
Weddings,
Vacations, Sports, Heritage, By Child, Pets, School, Christmas, Birthdays
These are
just a few examples, and themes will vary from one family to the next. Themes
can
also be sorted
in chronological order for easy access.
Safeguarding your photos
With
today’s rapidly changing technology, protecting our photos continues to be a
challenge.
The experts
recommend that you back up photos in 3 ways.
2
Computer Sources
Besides
the computer drive that your images are stored on, you should have an external
hard drive where your photos are backed up regularly.
Two
computer locations will ensure your photos are safe in the event of a computer
crash, and easily restored.
CD/Picture
Keeper Backup
Schedule
a monthly backup reminder and store images on Archival CDs. These types of disc
are high quality and designed for long term, stable storage. The likelihood
that disc’s will be readable 10 years from now are high. Even today, we are
transferring obsolete media into current readable forms easily.
Picture
Keeper is a space saving device that has built in software that intuitively
seeks out your digital images from your PC or MAC. This USB flash drive is
small enough to store in a safety deposit box outside of your home.
Online
Storage
Appo recommends
storing your ‘A photos’ with an offsite service, known as cloud storage.
I can recommend
a cloud based storage system that offers the security you need plus the added
advantage of unlimited photo storage and accessibility from many devices for
easy, private sharing.
Print
your photos
This is
by far the safest and most reliable form of back up. Getting your printed
photos into albums, or printed photo books is the best way to ensure that your
photos will survive technology changes and cloud storage. Everyone will still
have ‘eyes’ 50 years from now, but technology will be vastly different.
If photo
organizing feels overwhelming to you, or you simply don’t have the time, Adventures In Organizing, a proud member of appo.org can provide this service for you.
We can recommend products for you to use and have several photo organizing packages that may suite both your needs and budget.
We can recommend products for you to use and have several photo organizing packages that may suite both your needs and budget.
Check us
out at:
email us
at adventuresinorganizing@gmail.com
or call
613-668-6306
