Getting organized – Photos

Not sure if anyone will find this helpful, but I hear from so many people that they have a hard time to stay organized with their photos, so I thought I will share how I do it.

I take hundreds of photos of my children, family and friend gatherings and of buildings, shades, flowers and whatever else interests my eye. My favorite photos I post on my blog http://fragmentsbyedith.blogspot.com/ and some of the photos of my children I post on this blog. Many more I print and file in folders, for each child separately. I know my folder collection is growing rapidly but I just can’t not print the photos. How I stay organized with the printed photos is another post. :)

Back to the thousands of photos that we have on our computers. First, after uploading the photos from the camera to the computer, I file the photos in one folder and put a date on it and write few keywords of what is in this folder (example Sept 17 Matilda hair clip Bambi dress Lukas soccer outfit playing outside). I know this title might not make any sense to you but it does to me.

Secondly, I file this new photo folder in a monthly folder on my computer. So under September 2009. This folder is then filed into a year folder which I call Photos 2009. You can call it whatever you like but important is to have the year specified.

So here is how it looks on my computer:

1) C: (or any drive you want to use - I actually have an external drive that I save my photos on)
2) Photos 2009
3) - January 2009 - Jan 1 New Year celebration family park
- February 2009 – bday party Evan
And so on

This is the easiest and quickest way to find your photos on the computer. Of course, there are many other ways of organizing your stuff but I find this the most efficient and most easy for me.

Most of us have already a bunch of photos on the computer that are not filed and just linger on the desktop or in some obscure MyPhotos folder on the PC. To start with the organizing, just make the folders as per above and start moving the photos as you have time to do so. I know it is time consuming, but when you have it organized, you will be happy to have done it.

Now, after each upload, file your photos right into the correct folder, and voila, your life has one less problem.

If you need more help, email me and I will be happy to give you more hints or help.