Do 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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