Photo Sorting, Storing, and Organizing

Is there one among us who doesn't have enough photos? If you're out there you are an anomaly to be admired. With the advent of and affordability of digital photography the number of photographs we take is off the charts. Did you know PhotoBucket hosts over 7 Billion photos - that's almost as many photos as McDonald's has sold burgers and McDonald's has been around since the 50's. Okay, enough blather - how to sort and organize those pictures is what we're really concerned about.

Maximum Efficiency -
If you want to get the most out of your photo sorting and storing time, follow these steps:

1. Decide how many layouts you will do for the particular event you are sorting.
2. Choose 4 to 6 pictures from the event for each 12x12 layout you will (adjust quantity if you are working with a different sized layout).
3. Group the pictures by layout and store them in a Perfect Six Storage Page.
4. Pull any memorabilia that goes with the pictures and store that in either a Double X-Long Page or in a SuperSized Single Page.
5. Attach the pages to a Spinder and put them in your Ready, Set, Crop TravelPack.
6. Giveaway or throw away the pictures you aren't going to use in your layout. (If you can't do this, use the filing method described below - but I strongly recommend you pass these along, you've chosen the best for your scrapbook already.)
7. Watch a YouTube Video on this process:

Sorting and Storing - Printed Photos
Can I just say Well Labeled and Chronological. If you have tons of pictures and don't want to actually prepare them for scrapbooking as discussed above, use this quick easy method to at least get them organized into some storage boxes.

Group the photos by event in each box by folding a sheet of paper in half and putting the group of photos within the paper.

Here's an example of what you might write on your folded piece of paper.

On the folded paper you can easily note: Event, Date, and some journaling notes. If you've got small pieces of memorabilia you can include these right in with the photos. If you've got larger pieces of memorabilia that you are storing elsewhere, include a note on the folded piece of paper about what the memorabilia is and and where it can be found. This will make it quick and easy to find the memorabilia before you start scrapping the pictures.

File the "packet" inside your storage box in chronological order.

Store them in well labeled boxes, this is best accomplished by labeling the box you are storing them in on all 4 sides. That way, not matter how or where you put the box away, you'll be able to read the label.

I like to use these clear plastic storage boxes for several reasons.

1. They are wide enough to hold a variety of picture sizes.
2. The easily accommodate 81/2 x 11 paper which is what I use to create my packets.
3. They are clear so you can get a glimpse of what's inside.
4. They are stackable.
5. They are inexpensive and reusable.

I hope this information has proven helpful in your quest to make life easier and more organized. Join me later this week when we tackle Photo Storage and Organization on your computer. We'll talk about easy ways to sort, catalog and find images within your computer.