So many of us have photos that we cherish stuck inside our phones for no one to see. The problem of organizing photographs used to be an issue around storage and display. Now it’s an issue of “how far do I scroll before I find it”.
Today, we want to remove both issues once and for all. Get yourself a beautiful leather bound photo album and sit down for an evening of planning and organization.
How To Organize & Store Your Photographs
Gather All Of Your Photos
The first step in this task is to find all of your photos, both physical and digital. Get them all onto one drive, memory stick, or location, while at the same time place all of your physical photos on the table ready to be searched through.
This step should be easy, but here are some reminders about where your photos might be. You could have them stored on a social media platform, they could be locked onto your old phones, and they could be tucked away inside disposable or forgotten digital cameras.
Take your time to find them all!
Separate Them Into Categories
Now that all your photos have been gathered, you need to separate them into categories. First, separate them into digital and physical formats. That step should be easy.
Now consider the elements of your life and how you want to remember them. Do you want to remember them in date order keeping a log of every special event within a year? Do you want to remember every event that's similar to each other in one location - for example, a folder that contains every journey to your family’s holiday destination year after year?
Figure out the theme you want to follow and then start to move your photos into folders (both physical and digital) which represent these times in your life.
This process will take a long time, but have fun looking through the memories.
We suggest taking one concept and then breaking it down into other ideas too. For example, you could have a folder for all of your 2022 photos, and inside that folder could have more folders for every event you had in that year.
Scan Them Into A Digital Format
As you go through your photos you’ll notice that some should fit perfectly in your digital collection and others should be hung up on your walls.
We suggest scanning all of your physical photos into digital form. This will allow you to organize them easily into the categories you have already created and you can reprint them should the originals fade or become damaged.
Create A Reusable Structure
Now that you have your categories created and all of your physical photos have been digitized, you can add the folders to their physical and digital collections.
At this point, you need to ensure the names you have given are understandable without content. This way you can understand them as the years go on.
For example, if you have a folder for all the photos that you take while on your family vacation, first create a folder that separates the years. Then, inside the year category, separate them into events. You could allow them to sit freely inside the folder, but this could lead to confusion when searching later.
Whatever structure you create, it needs to be repeatable so you can do the same thing in the years to come.
As new events pop up, you want to reuse the same categorizing technique so everything is streamlined.
Name And Date Your Photos
Every photo, both physical and digital, needs to be named and dated. This way you can jog your memory when you look at images from the past.
This will also help you find your digital copies faster, as you can type into the search bar “Mom’s Birthday” and find all of the images from that event.
Ideally, you should follow this labeling pattern - 2022.01.30 or Year.Month.Day. Then follow the date with an identifiable label such as “Mom’s Birthday Meal At Zizzi.” Written in this format, your photos will automatically be organized in date order making it easy to navigate.
Repeat After Every Event
Now that your photos have been organized you need to keep on top of your system after every event. It will be easier now that the bulk has been added to your system.
How To Organize & Store Your Photographs
Keeping your photos organized will help you find these precious memories when you’re feeling nostalgic. Once you have your system setup, keeping on top of your organization will be easy.
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