With todays digital world being what it is, we all have a LOT of photos.  There are photos on our smartphones, photos on our point and shoot cameras, and maybe even some on our iPads/Tablets too!

I know that I can get overwhelmed when it comes to keeping them all organized and easy to access when I need them!

Because I know that I can’t be alone with this issue, I thought I would share a few tips that have worked wonders for me and the way I keep things organized!

1. DOWNLOAD, DOWNLOAD, DOWNLOAD!: It is so easy to NOT be in the habit of getting all those pictures OFF of your smartphones & memory cards and onto something that is more reliable for saving them!  Your phone or camera could get lost, stolen or might even break (which happened to me!) and then you would lose everything that was on it.

2. Delete the “not worthy” ones:  Go ahead and delete the ones that are blurry or have eyes closed etc.  This makes the sheer amount of photos much easier to handle!  The not so good photos are just more clutter to deal with.

3. Pick an Organization method: For some people, organizing by subject is the best way.  For others, doing it by chronological order is the way that makes the most sense.  Regardless of the method you choose, stick to your method!

4. Use sub folders: Using subfolders makes it easy when you are looking for a specific photo from an event.  For example: I have my own personal photos organized by year and then by month.  If a particular event happened that month, I also break that down into another subfolder.  So it would look like this: 2015 > March > Ben’s Birthday Party

5.  BACK UP YOUR IMAGES: I used big letters because this one is SO important.  In fact, it’s so incredibly important that I will be blogging about this for the next “More Than Pictures” blog post.  The truth is that it’s not “IF” your computer might fail…it’s “WHEN” your computer fails.  And you MUST be backing them up to avoid a total loss of your memories!

6. Print your photos!:  I am the worst at this!  In my head, if I have them backed up, they are there when I need them.  But I am not enjoying them this way!  My most FAVORITE thing for me is when I see my clients getting their photos printed, making photo books and just getting them off of their computer and out to be SEEN!  Whether you commit to making a yearly photo book, buying a canvas, or just making sure that you print out your 100 favorites photos from that month…you will be SO GLAD you did!

7.  Make your process a habit: Just like brushing your teeth (and flossing!), you have to make this a habit.  Schedule it on your calendar.  Set a reminder on your phone.  However you need to remember…make it a priority to get things in order…you will not be disappointed!