Need an effective photo organization system?
An effective photo organization system involves a consistent workflow for decluttering, curating, categorizing, and backing up your photos and images, whether they are digital or printed. This prevents clutter and protects your precious memories for the future.
Photo organising is more important than ever because we take more photos than ever! As experienced professional organisers, we have always come across photographs & similar mementos in our clients homes. They are treasured belongings but all too often, they are unsorted, all over the place & how to store, present & share them isn’t given much thought. There are often practical or technical tasks to complete as part of photo organising, for example, to remove duplicated or burred ones or to resize the photos. These tasks can be easy to procrastinate over.
We always helped clients declutter & categorise their printed photos as well as general digital organising but leaving them in boxes “to be dealt with later” never felt quite right.
As for digital photos, we could tell our clients needed help by the look they tended to give when the subject arose!
One thing was clear… we needed to develop & extend our service to include Photo Organising!
The Photo Organisers is a great resource to help you curate your collection & preserve your memories.
How to organize printed photos
Printed Photo Decluttering & Organising
Do you have printed photos in boxes, folders or drawers? Old photo albums or frames that are out of date and collecting dust?
Are your photos scattered in different locations or at risk of damp or fading because they are not protected?
Perhaps you also have slides, videos, DVDs & negatives?
These special memories need to be preserved. It could be a valuable project to organise & store your printed photos. This could work for you if you prefer to keep your memories as “hard copies” & not digitise them.
How to digitize photos
Digital Scanning & Archiving
Would you like to bring your printed photos & other memorabilia into the digital age? To store these precious memories in one place? And create more space in your home?
It’s possible to digitise your hard copy / printed photos so you can be sure they are safe, preserved & accessible to you & future generations.
How to organize digital photos
Digital Photo, Video & Document Organising
Are your digital photos & memories buried on your phone or other devices, in amongst lots of clutter?
Is it difficult to find the important images without sifting through lots which are irrelevant? These days, we take so many photos, screenshots & videos that it’s easy for devices to become jumbled up & overloaded.
You need easy access to your important images. You need simple systems to stay organised & consistently add to your memory bank.
You CAN declutter & organise your digital photos, saving you time & importantly, enabling you to document & enjoy your memories. It may be a big project…but….Rome wasn’t built in a day. Start now. It could be a wonderful practice to heal and enhance your mental health. Enjoy the process.
Ways to organize keepsakes
Keepsakes & Memory Making
Keeping photos digitally is convenient & secure but it can be difficult to share & appreciate images with others. And how do you keep them in the forefront of your mind?
There are modern equivalents to traditional photo albums. This is where you bring your photos out of your digital devices & bring them to life as keepsakes and gifts.
It’s possible to create your own bespoke memorabilia, including photo books, digital slideshow frames, prints on canvas & other creative ideas. Or utilise Cloud-based tools on your devices to help you create digital collections which tell a story.
Creative memory-making ideas
Use memory boxes
A “memory box” is a classic way to store treasured physical items that are too bulky for a photo album.
What to include: Tickets, postcards, love letters, a baby’s first shoes, or a significant piece of jewelry.
How to organize: Use an acid-free archival box with dividers and clear labels to protect items and keep them organized. Some people dedicate a separate box for each child or for major life events, like a wedding.
Curate a shadow box
A shadow box is a glass-front display case that allows you to showcase a collection of small, sentimental objects on a wall.
What to include: Arrange vacation souvenirs, shells from a beach trip, military medals, or your child’s favorite small toy.
How to organize: The key is to keep the display curated and uncluttered. Group items by theme and consider grouping shadow boxes together to form a gallery wall.
Digitize children’s artwork
Your children’s creativity can quickly create a mountain of paper. Instead of saving every piece, digitize them for a compact and permanent archive.
What to include: Scan or take high-quality photos of drawings, school projects, or report cards.
How to organize: Take a picture of each item and save the images to a cloud storage service like Google Photos. For display, consider creating a digital calendar or photo book with their favorite artwork. Services like Artkive or Doodle Nest can even create professional photo books for you.
Make a memory quilt
Transform special clothing items that hold sentimental value into a memory quilt. This is an excellent way to preserve garments that are too precious to give away, such as old baby clothes or a loved one’s favorite T-shirts.
Create a digital video tribute
Use your photos and videos to create a video montage. This is a great way to capture the emotions and sounds of a moment, which photos alone cannot convey. Most smartphones and computers have built-in, user-friendly video editors.
Interview family members
Use your phone’s voice recorder or a video camera to interview older relatives about their life stories and treasured memories. This project creates a priceless family heirloom that takes up no physical space.
Start a shared digital space
Create a private blog, social media page, or a shared photo album for your family. This allows everyone to contribute photos and stories, turning memory keeping into a fun, collaborative project.
Journal about your memories
While photos capture a moment, journaling records your feelings and thoughts. Jot down short descriptions in a notebook or use a digital journaling app like Evernote or Day One. To make it easy, you can even take notes directly on your phone.