Easy Tips to Get Started
Organizing your photos can be an overwhelming task. It’s hard to know where to begin! I am so excited to share these tips by Rachel Arbuckle, the founder of 2000 Paces Photo Organizing, a San Diego-based photo organizing business. Based on her own experience, Rachel knows first hand how important it is to get your photos organized!
It is a well-known fact that proper organization can save you a lot of trouble and make things easier in every aspect of life. Staying organized will save you time by minimizing the time spent looking for items allowing you to accomplish other important things on your to-do list. Your overall well-being and mental clarity can also be vastly improved.
What about your beloved photographic memories though? They are often set aside during the home organizing process. The importance of properly organizing photos is often forgotten until a natural disaster, such as a fire or flood, or the loss of a loved one brings them back to our attention.
Now is a great time to start organizing your photo memories, even if you are not living in an area with a high risk of natural disasters. We have heard many stories from those who wish they had acted sooner to get their family photos and memorabilia safe sooner. There are several ways in which you can benefit from properly organizing your photos!
- It is easier to find and share a specific memory
- They are protected and preserved for future generations
- During the organizing process, you may rediscover forgotten memories
- You will clear out space in your home (who doesn’t love a clean home?)
You may have quite an impressive collection of photographs and feel overwhelmed with the idea of organizing them on your own. If that is the case then you can always have a professional photo organizer to do it for you. However, if you are up for the challenge, here are a few tips to help you during the process.
1. Clean out all the digital “stuff”
When organizing your digital collection of photos, you can start by clearing out the “stuff”. Take some time to review your collection. Remove the photos that simply don’t tell your story. These typically include screenshots, memes, poor quality photos, the giant burger you wanted to share with your friend and the fabric you thought would match brilliantly with your new sofa.
2. Organize your digital photos into folders, chronologically or by event
Your life story is chronological, so why not organize your memories chronologically? Those that cannot be identified by date can be grouped by event. Creating a simple process will make it easier to organize and quicker to find photos when you need them.
3. Back up your photo collection in 3 places
We recommend you backup your photos in 3 different places. At least one of these backups should be offsite and online. So, an example might be to backup your photos on your local computer or external hard drive, a cloud backup such as Backblaze, and an online storage that enables you to view your photos easily, such as SmugMug.
4. Regularly update and back up your collection
Update your backups regularly with new photos taken on your phone or camera or those digitized (scanned), such as printed school photos. Monthly is the most common timing, but select a schedule that works best for you. Use a calendar reminder to keep you on track.
5. Digitize your physical photos
The best way to preserve and protect your collection of print photos and memorabilia is to have them digitized (scanned). Digitizing your physical photographs not only ensures their safety, but also helps you share them more easily.
6. Organize your photos in archival boxes by year and/or events
Organizing your printed pictures in archival boxes by year or events makes your entire collection easier to be transported in case of an emergency situation. It also reduces the amount of space they take up and keeps them protected from the elements.
Personally, having gone through the terrible experience of leaving all of my memories behind when I was forced to flee my home due to a wildfire, which started behind my home, has taught me the importance of properly organizing my photo. I hope this has inspired you to take the first step!
About the author: Rachel Arbuckle is the founder of 2000 Paces Photo Organizing, a San Diego-based photo organizing business dedicated to providing authentic, compassionate solutions to transform the chaos of photos and memorabilia into an organized, preserved collection that can be easily shared and enjoyed for generations.
