It’s a dilemma all snap happy parents face at one time or another—how to organize the thousands of pictures accumulated from just a month’s worth of shooting. (When you’re a snap happy parent “thousands” is not an exaggeration.)
The following are a few strategies I use to help manage my mountain of photos that grows by the day.
PURGE—–Know when to hold them… know when to throw them. Not exactly classic Kenny Rogers, but you get the idea. Keep the frame-worthy shots and toss the rest. Don’t hang on to blurry, redundant, unflattering, or bad shots. This strategy is effective for both digital photographers (delete, delete, delete) and those of you who shoot with traditional film cameras.
WEEDING—The key to weeding out the bad shots from the good is to do so as soon as you get new shots. I used to pile my new pictures on my desk figuring I would get around to filing them when I had time. Before long the stack grew taller than my toddler and just looking at the mountain became overwhelming. Weed out new shots as soon as you take them (digital) or as soon as you receive prints (standard film) and the task of organizing will not be as daunting.
SORTING—I usually sort in stages and because I tend to stroll down memory lane each time I look at a shot I set a time limit on this task. If you are simply looking to get your picture collection under control (you can scrapbook or frame specific shots later) I would suggest purchasing a few archival-quality photo boxes. They are available at photo shops, retail stores (Bed, Bath, &Beyond has them on sale all the time) and you can choose from a wide array of colors and patterns. Find a few that match your decor and get cracking.
STORING—–Don’t feel compelled to label every single picture. Instead, sort them in broad categories such as “Vacation to the Beach” or “Birthdays,” and store them in your labeled box (or digital folder if you aren’t shooting on film). If you are dealing with a huge backlog of photos (I’m talking months or years) I would suggest grouping your photos by year, stages of life (infant, toddler, teen years, college, etc.), types of people (family, friends, work) or events (vacations, birthdays, holidays).
ARCHIVING—All of the photos I don’t frame or scrapbook are placed in albums. I usually stock up on albums when they are on sale so I always have empty ones on hand. It’s a good idea to purchase albums that will hold varying sizes of photos. For example, artists’ portfolios that feature large black pages give you the option to arrange your pictures any way you prefer. Three-ring binder albums are also a handy option since they allow you to mix-and-match plastic sleeves of multiple configurations (three by five, four by six, etc.). Personally, I like to stick with one kind of album (it looks more uniform on a shelf), but you can choose a style or styles that best fit your personality.
Let me end by saying that sorting and organizing photos—especially if you have a major backlog—is a time consuming process. Each envelope of photos takes me about 15 minutes to place in an album. If you have dozens of rolls to organize don’t attempt to do it all at once. Rather, set aside a specific time each week or month and work on one or two photo boxes at a time. And a note to all of you pack rats: Don’t hold on to every shot. Someone once told me that the key to tossing a bad picture is realizing you aren’t throwing away the person in it. If the shot is blurry, off-center or down right ugly—-get rid of it. Save the duplicates to send to grandma or store them for school projects or collages and toss the rest.
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