Category Archives: Family Photo

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Top 5 Tips for Organizing Your Digital Photo Archive

organizing your digital photo archiveDo you have a messy digital photo archive that is stressing you out? It is no wonder efficiency, or lack thereof, has an effect on your brain. It does not only contribute to stress. A lack of efficiency and organization also impacts your productivity.

As in every other aspect of your life, it is important to have organizational skills in photo storage. It will help you be more efficient in finding and storing every single photo you take.

If you do not know where to begin, then check out the tips below and organize your archive in a slow but sure manner.

  1. Clean Up Your Digital Photo Archive

The first step in photo organization is removing the clutter. In a photo archive, the clutter consists of duplicate photos, accidental shots, blurred images, test shots, and other unwanted ones. Clean these up first before you sort through them.

  1. Edit Bad Dates

Sometimes, you will get photos that do not have the right dates. This process happens when you have not set up the camera’s date settings. Your photos will get dates from the past or in the future if it does not have automatic update capabilities.

Photos with bad dates will mess up the chronological order of your photos. However, you do not have to worry as computers have a function that lets you adjust the date and time on individual photos or groups.

  1. Create Categories and Put Photos in Folders

Creating folders is the best way to stay organized as it enables you to be able to find a photo when needed. Still, keep in mind that you have to name the folders in a way that makes sense for you.

You may use categories to separate your photos, but keep it simple to make finding photos easier. The categories can be something as straightforward as the year you took the images or other names that you would remember.

  1. Create Sub-Folders

Within those folders, create more sub-folders. If you organized them by year, then you may now use months as sub-categories.

Make sure you use a number at the beginning of the name so that the folders are in chronological order and not alphabetical order. It would look like 1 Jan, 2 Feb, and so on, or even a simple 1, 2, 3 would work well.

However, photos from special events should be separate if possible. In addition to the months, you would also have sub-folders by events, such as a vacation or a birthday party.

You may also categorize your photos in a different way. Want to be able to find all your family photos in one place? Create a sub-folder for it, then another for portrait photography, then another for your photography sessions, and so on.

  1. Back Up to an External HDD or a Cloud Service

Do not forget to back up your photos. Take some time to copy them to an external hard drive or upload them to a cloud service. This process will allow you to take your photos with you without fear of losing them should your computer break down.

Cloud services usually have automated backup services as well so you won’t have to worry about forgetting to regularly backup. However, storage does come at a price.

What’s Next?

The tips above should help any digital photo archive have a bit of organization. For more tips, visit our blog or contact us if you want to take your photography to the next level.

MorePhotos offers online solutions that include professional websites and a powerful e-commerce shopping cart. With our friendly and knowledgeable staff, we can assist you in creating an online presence that will attract traffic to your photography website.

Fall Photos, Family Photo

3 Tips for Capturing the Perfect Family Photo This Fall

Portrait of a happy family in autumn park with maple leaves

There’s nothing like the perfect family photo.

Capturing it, however, takes some doing. Big brother won’t stop making faces. Mom blinks every time she thinks the flash is about to go off. 

Oh, great. Now the baby’s crying.

There’s got to be some way to take the headache out of capturing those special moments.

While there might not be any foolproof method, these are three of our top tips you can use to make those shoots easier.

  1. Keep Your Options Open

There’s only one thing you can predict about families: They’re unpredictable.

People of all ages can get tired, hungry, and irritable. Posing for long periods of time can be draining.

Clothes get messy. Moods change at a moment’s notice.

There’s nothing chaos hates more than a rigid plan. If you’re going to survive this family photo shoot, you need to be flexible.

Before the photo shoot, plan for several different locations. Set aside time in your studio, and make sure you have some outdoor spots ready in case little junior gets stir crazy.

Encourage your clients with small children to bring backup clothes for those unforeseen accidents. Having your own emergency stockpile of clothing options can come in handy too.

Bring chairs and umbrellas since grandparents, for example, might need to sit down and get some shade. Having bug spray and a sewing kit are useful to have on hand as well. Plus, have a cooler with water and snacks for everyone. You can always use these treats as a motivator ( i.e., “When we get done, I have some candy/snacks and drinks for kids and  beer and wine for mom and dad.”)  Make some of the snacks healthy to accommodate all needs. They don’t all need to be unhealthy snacks full of sugar or alcohol – though it might work better!

Prepare for the chaos and your family photo shoots will go that much smoother.

  1. Let Personality Shine Through

Have you ever tried to get a goofball child to take a serious photo?

We can already guess how frustrating that was.

Photography is a great way to capture a person’s essence. Even if that person is a rascally seven-year-old, whose essence is one of mischief.

While you don’t want to let an unruly child (or grumpy dad, let’s be honest) run the photo shoot, letting them be themselves can make for some truly memorable photos.

Give your clients the freedom to be free. Not only will you get a picture that exudes their personalities, but you’ll have a lot less stress.

  1. Got Props?

A bored child is the bane of the photo shoot. They wander off, they won’t sit still, they don’t listen (again, this can be true of the dads too).

One of the best ways to fight boredom and make a memorable family photo is to break out the props.

Whether it’s a costume, sign, balloons, bubbles or a kite – props can give a photo a touch of whimsy and provide your more distractible models something to do. They’re also a great way to add balance and a touch of personality to your photos.

Be sure to have a wide assortment available to appease a large variety of tastes.

Make Your Next Family Photo Shoot a Breeze

Whether you’re shooting a young family with twin toddlers or capturing all the joy of those temperamental teenage years, there are going to be some hiccups. 

Use these tips to stay sane and get great photos while you’re doing it.

Remember, your two biggest goals for your customers are:

1) Getting great memories to share!

2) Having fun doing it!

Both are very important – do your best to make them happy!

Just make sure to put the best shots in your online portfolio to keep bringing in those bookings.

Need help with your photography website? Contact us today!