I have thousands of photos in boxes and albums in stored in closets in my home. I also have thousands of picture on discs (I just found them when I did my media clean out). And unfortunately, I have thousands of pictures stored on the hard drive of my computer.
I have photo clutter.
This is a big project so my plan is to work on my photo clutter this summer, but here are a few tips.
Developed Photos
- Get rid of photos that are blurry.
- Get rid of photos that are just bad pictures. Perhaps everyone’s head is not in the photo, or it is a really bad close-up.
- Get rid of photos that were taken just to test the camera, or are of your feet, or something similar.
- Store photos in an acid free container. I use this Scrapbook Storage Box
to store most of my photos. - If you can afford it, remove your photos from old albums that contain PVC. PVC releases chlorine gas that attacks photographic images, causing them to fade and discolor prematurely. Most of the new photo storage devices do not contain PVC, but remember to check the label before you buy.
to store most of my photos.I bought my first digital camera
eight years ago and my problem with photo storage multiplied. I love digital photos because you can take multiple pictures of the same thing without paying to have all those pictures developed. Someone told me years ago that the best way to get a good picture of kids was to take significantly more pictures than needed and then delete the bad ones. My problem? I never delete.
Digital Photos
- Delete, Delete, Delete (I’m preaching to myself on this one).
- Create some sort of organizing system on your computer; folders, files, albums, anything that organizes the photos you already have. Many computers already come with these types of programs installed so you don’t have to buy anything extra.
- Back up your photos! When my computer had a cup of water dropped on it the first thought that went through my mind was – MY PHOTOS! There are several options for digital photo storage below.
Digital Photo Storage
Photo Sharing Sites:
I use Flickr, Photobucket, and Kodak Gallery to store my photos. They are free for a certain amount of storage and then you pay if you need additional storage. I have used the free and the paid versions for my photos. I like these options because for a while I didn’t have any editing software on my computer and these sites have some nice tools.
Memory Card:
If you don’t take many digital photos a memory card might be sufficient to store your photos.This is relatively inexpensive option for people who only have a few photos. It is also a great way to store photos if you are traveling. The downside is that they don’t have a ton of memory, and they are small, so if you are like me you might put one through the washer.
External Hard Drive:
We started using an external drive after my son used up all the memory on our family computer storing his photos. A large hard drive costs under $100 and is a good option for those who have thousands of photos.
CD or DVD:
This would be my preferred method of storage, I just haven’t done it yet. I have a friend who stores her photos on discs and it seems like a great way to organize. The important thing is that you label your CDs/ DVDs well so that you don’t insert every single one trying to find your photos. The downside of CDs and DVDs is that you need to be able to burn them on your computer to use this storage method. Most new computers have this capability.
Develop your photos!
I know this runs contrary to my decluttering theme, but what good is it to take 1,000’s of photos and not get them developed! You can’t drag your personal computer around with you to show people your photos all the time. 🙂 Since I started taking digital photos I have really slacked off developing my pictures. It seems silly, because before digital I would drive to Target or another developing place with my film, drop it off, and then drive back to pick them up! Developing digital photos is so easy!
You can print your digital photos at home if you have a photo printer. Depending on the cost of ink/photo paper this can be costly. You can also take advantage of the numerous digital photo sites that develop photos. You can upload them from your home computer and have them shipped directly to your home.
Whatever you preferred photo format, digital or film, photos are memories, glimpses into our past, and things that need to be taken care of and preserved. Take some time this summer and organize your photos. It is worth your time and your great grandchildren will thank you for it.
Online photo developing companies. Most offer free prints for creating an account!
Jamie says
Oh dear, I struggle with this! One thing I know I should do, but haven’t yet, is “tag” the photos after I take them. I love that the programs that come with most new digital cameras allow you to do that. It seems like it would make it so much easier to find a great pic without searching through tons of different folders. Right now, all my pics are jusr organized by date. I really should “tag” them with names like “family” “pool” “birthday”, etc.
Jamie says
Oh dear, I struggle with this! One thing I know I should do, but haven’t yet, is “tag” the photos after I take them. I love that the programs that come with most new digital cameras allow you to do that. It seems like it would make it so much easier to find a great pic without searching through tons of different folders. Right now, all my pics are jusr organized by date. I really should “tag” them with names like “family” “pool” “birthday”, etc.
Read more: http://thehappyhousewife.com/photo-clutter/#ixzz0mVRMiJg2
Renae says
Thanks for the tips! I use Picasa to organize my digital photos. It does all kinds of things with a few clicks. I really like that it is super easy to order prints from a variety of stores and that it scans my entire computer for images. (Especially helpful when your husband upgrades your computer. 😉
Jolyn@Budgets are the New Black says
We use an external drive to store our digital photos. We also copy them onto CDs every time we move, or at least did so the last two moves. We’re getting ready to move again…
My PLAN is to create photo books on snapfish or shutterfly for each calendar year, rather than printing out individual photos, other than the occasional one I’d like to frame. I have a friend who spends New Year’s Eve with her husband creating their photo book for the year just ending. She said a glass of wine really helps facilitate the process… 😉
Leigh Ann says
I have tested every photo book website and found that Mixbook.com is the absolute best for creating photo books. They upload higher MB pictures and the quality is much better than Snapfish and Shutterfly.
Lori says
I too have issues with this area…I even have photos in various places…YIKES! I need to go through them all…Oh my…. And the videos…my plan is to get the vhs tapes transferred to dvd as well. I better get busy!!!
Gayla says
i jusst found an electronic for $158.00 at walmart it records onto VHS, and DVD, it records from vhs to dvd and vice versa. also records on to either one from your TV or HDMI, i have enough old family VHS home videos that i believe it will be less expensive to buy this than to pay someone to transfer them for me as i have heard most services charge by the hour and i have about 50 home VHS tapes. If anyone has any info on this Memorex machine please put in your two cents i wanna know what you think.
Tonya says
Interesting. I used to use York when I had film cameras. They had the best prices by far. I just signed up and will have to use them when I do my massive printing from last year and this year.
petersonclan says
My Canon program will sort photos by year and month… I love that. I can usually get within a couple months if I am looking for a particular photo. I also go through at the end of the year and make a photo book… then get three copies- one for us and one for each set of grandparents for their Christmas present. They love them and the best photos are saved. The kids love looking through past years too. It’s like a scrapbook only I don’t have scissors for the children to grab, etc.
Becky L. says
I have a drawer full of photos and a box full of photos and I have CDs full of photos. Oh my! I need to go through the packs of photos and get rid of at least half of them? But that will wait cuz I’ve got more purging to do b4 that! Thanks for the insight cuz I’m there right with you on this one item. Love your camera and I hope to get one later in the year, if I can’t win one from a photo contest. Love Canon and used to have a Rebel film camera b4 I bought my Fuji Fine Pix digital one (point and shoot). Best one I could find for the money when I switched. It’s good! Take care.
Cathi says
Since my son was born and we went ‘camera crazy’ taking pictures of him, we normally dont print our pics unless I want them for a gift for the Grandparents. And then I usually just get them at Walgreens-since its easy to upload them and go get them. We email them to both set of Grandparents and my husband puts them on a CD. Our ‘plan’ was to get a safety deposit box to put them in, but so far we havent. I guess we will just need to get a bigger fire safe lock box. I would hate for anything to happen to them!
Charlotte Benfield says
I struggle with both old printed photo clutter and digital photo clutter. My goal is to get a good photo scanner and scan my old printed photos and upload them to my PC (but still wondering if I’d be brave enough to throw the printed ones away after). I started trying to organize digital photos from my digital camera, cellphone or downloaded or emailed to me from friends by month and year…..this seemed the easiest way to organize without having to duplicate to cover separate categories (I just estimate dates for those I’m not sure of). I also try and get rid of bad pics or duplicates at this time. And I already have an external hard drive specifically bought for storing photos (found out lots of pics stored on your PC will take up lots of storage, especially high quality pics and will ultimately slow down your PC). BUT, like you, easier said than done! With 5 kids at home and the youngest only 3 months, time to sort and store photos is in short supply.
BTW, do you have any recommendations on a good photo scanner than isn’t too expensive?