Photo Organizing...Where to Start...and some questions to think about...

If you're thinking about doing a photo organization project, either by yourself, or with the help of a Photo Organizer, you should think about the project itself and what would you like to get out of it.  

It is a journey....best started with a single step.  

Start with the simple stuff.  What all do you have?  

• Slides?
• Snapshots?
• Magnetic Albums that need a makeover?  (more on that in an upcoming blog post)
• Professional albums that you'd like a backup of ?
• Vintage photos in frames?
• Other Memorabilia or documents that you'd like a digital record of?

I'm a big believer in keeping "like things" together.  Get everything in one place, so you really know how much you've got.  If you have lots of moving parts, you'll want to do the project in phases.   

I always go through an assessment with clients (or folks asking my advice) and these are things you should think about as you decide how to move forward.  

Where are your photos now?

• Do you know about how many you've got?
• What format are your photos in now?  Digital?  Printed?
• Are you the main picture-taker in the family?  Who else in your family takes pictures?
• Do you have a current system for organizing?
• Do you throw pictures away or delete them?  Or do you save everything?

Taking all of those assessment questions a step further...

• In a perfect world, how would you like your photos organized?  
• Do you want them in plain view or tucked away?
• Do you want to be able to share the photos with family members and friends?  Via photo books?  Digitally?
• What has gotten in the way of this process in the past?  (time? money? space? technology issues?)

And another batch of questions as you think about the project....

• How involved do you want to be (every step of the way? not at all?)
• Do you have a timeline for any of the individual phases?  Maybe an upcoming special occasion that needs an album?
• How much time do YOU have to commit to the process?
• Do you want other people involved in the process?

As with any organizing or de-cluttering project, sometimes you have to get out of your own head and look at the end goal and work towards that.  

There are many benefits to having the project finished and being able to know where a photo is and access it quickly - isn't that what we're all wanting?  

Besides, it sure makes "Throw-Back-Thursdays" on Facebook a fun thing to contribute to!!