Sorting Printed Photos is as Simple as A,B,C. The ABC’s of Photo Organization

Deciding what to keep can be overwhelming. Following a few simple guidelines can make this process easier and you can reoly on the ABC’s of photo organizing to stay on top of your photo organizing tasks.

Stands for Album
These photos are the most important and belong in an album. it’s importanat to understand that not all photos need to go in an album. The ones you chose are often the most personal, and cherished. Less can be more!

Stands for Box
Photos that are important enough to keep should be stores in archive quality boxes for long term storage, and can be scanned and digitized.

Stands for Can
These photos can go in the ‘trash can” or delete file (on computer). Toss duplicates, blurry or unflattering photos, as well as excess scenery photos, etc.

Stands for Story
The 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 care you aren’t tossing out family history.

Sorting Photos
Our natural tendency is to sort chronologically, with today’s high volume of photo 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.

Births, Weddings, Vacations, Sports, Heritage, By Child, Pets, School, Christmas or other memorable events.

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 acces.

Safeguarding your photos

With today’s rapidly changing technology, protecting our photos continues to be a challenge. The experts recommends that you back up your photos in 3 ways.

2 Computer sources
Beside the computer drive that your images are stored on after we scan them, you should have an external hard drive where your photos are backed up regularly and a cloud storage. Backing up in both locations will ensure your photos are safe in the event of theft or natural disaster.

DVD/Flash Drive/Picture Keeper Backup

Schedule a monthly backup reminder and store images on Archival DVD’s. These types of disc are high quality and designed for long term, stable storage. The likelihood that the DVD will be readable 10 years from now is high. Even today, we are transferring obsolete media into current readable forms easily. Flash Drives are becoming more common place as more and more laptop computers, tablets and mobile devices no longer have CD/DVD Drives in them. 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 flash drive is small enough to store in a safety deposit box out of your home.

Online Storage
It is recommended to store your “A Photos” as a minimum or your entire photo collection if you wish, with an offsite service, known as cloud storage. We can recommend a cloud based storage that offers the security you need plus the added advantage of accessibility from many devices for easy sharing.

Print your photos
This 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, and technology will change. Having your images on the latest technology ensures that you can transfer to the next new technology as it becomes available.

If you are looking for advice and organizing feels overwhelming to you, or you simply do not have the time or know how to digitize your printed photos and organize your digital collection, we can recommend products for you to use. We have the best mobile scanning service and pricing that allows your photos to never leave your home.

Contact Us here to know more.