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So, you took the
plunge, eh? No more loading film in the middle of a wedding ceremony? No more
missed shots due to being ‘at the end of the roll?’ Congratulations! You must be
the proud owner of a digital camera.
For years, you’ve stored your pictures and negatives in a box, still in the
envelopes they came in from the developer, eventually be placed into albums.
Instead of searching through boxes, envelopes, or albums, how will you easily
find those digital pictures from Aunt Bertha’s 90th birthday party or those
precious shots of your kids in the tub? Get them organized!
Taking the time to organize your digital photo collection is a worthwhile
investment for both the present and the future. If digital pictures are not
organized, specific photos become hard to find or permanently lost and the
hundreds or thousands of them can get out of control pretty quickly.
What to do with all of those pictures? Here are two ways to organize them:
Set up folders on your hard drive
Most digital cameras come with software that allows users select the images they
want to download and do some minor editing. Once they’re transferred from the
camera to your hard drive, they will all need a ‘home.’ A system of folders can
act a functional home for your photos. Just like a folder holds documents, a
folder can hold pictures as well.
Before creating a system of storage folders (also known as ‘digital shoe
boxes’), think about how you’ll want to store them in order for you to be able
to find them when you need them. By year? By event--all weddings or birthday
parties or vacations? By type--landscapes, portraits, special projects?
Let’s say you’d like to store your photos by year.
Step 1: Create a folder on your hard drive and give it a name (ex. ‘Digital
Photos’).
Step 2: Create a sub folder to be placed in the Digital Photos’ folder named
‘Photos 2005.’
Step 3: Depending upon when and how you take pictures, create a subfolder (to be
placed in the folder called, ‘Photos 2005’) for either every month of the year
or by event. Example of such subfolders: ‘January 2005’ or ‘Anna’s 2nd birthday
party.’
The most important decision you’ll make is how to categorize your folder system.
If you usually look for pictures by the month you took them in, use subfolders
labeled by month. If you look for pictures by the event, then create subfolders
by event. It’s not about what works best for your friend or your co-worker—it’s
about what system will work best for you and help you find your pictures when
you need them.
Use digital photo software
For those who wish to let their computer do the bulk of the work, a software
program aimed at digital photography is a wise investment. Most software for
organizing photos is intuitive, user friendly, and comes with a few
‘bells-and-whistles’ such as rotating, cropping or red-eye removal. One example
for PC (or Mac) users is Adobe Photoshop Album or Adobe Photoshop Elements. For
Mac users, iPhoto comes bundled on all new Macintosh computers and makes
organizing digital photos easy for even a novice.
A few digital photo organizing tips:
• Download photos off your camera as soon as possible after taking pictures. Not
doing so can lead to the painful realization that your memory card is full at a
poor time (like your toddler’s first steps or your friend's wedding).
• Don't download what you won't want to keep and show others. I like to compare
it to looking at your mail over the garbage can and immediately getting rid of
the junk. It’s a photographic purge—the less you have in front of you to
organize, the easier it will be to get them all in order.
• Name your photos. When downloading pictures from a digital camera, software
programs will often import the pictures and assign them a number. Giving them a
name, such as, ‘Uncle Ben at Grand Canyon’ or ‘Mattthew’s First Steps’ will
enable you to find them with greater ease than if they were just labeled,
“Image_419.jpg.”
Back it up!
Last but not least—do not forget to create a backup file of all of your
pictures! There are no negatives with digital photographs. Don’t keep all photos
on your hard drive—they quickly take up a ton of space and can be lost forever
if your computer crashes. An easy way to back up and store copies of your
pictures is to burn them onto a CD or DVD and store them in a safe deposit box
or fire-proof safe.
Now that you have all the tools you need to organize your visual memories—start
snapping away!
About the Author
Article by Stacey
Agin Murray, professional organizer and owner of Organized Artistry, LLC. Visit
http://www.organizedartistry.com for your FREE e-list of 'Top Ten Tips for
Organized Living.'
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