February Organization Challange: Organizing Photos (Digital Photos)

I was so excited to start this new month's challenge with http://delightfulorder.blogspot.com/2013/02/february-challenge-organizing-photos.html, until I saw what it was.  This month's focus is on photos. It isn't that I'm not excited about organizing my photos, it's just...well I already do it!  If you know me, you know that I am a Creative Memories Consultant, who LOVES photos!  The reason I became a consultant was because I have a ton of photos, and wanted to get my products at cost.  Back 7 years ago, Happy Anniversary to me this month, it was all about the albums.  Yet, times have changed, my life has changed, and now it's about the software, and easy projects.  My life is so busy I don't have time for much else, but I FIRMLY believe that you need to get your photos in your life, if you are going to take photos during your life.

So, this month it's time to get them organized. That is another reason why I'm a consultant, so if you need help, here is my shameless plug...call me, text me, message me, it's really not difficult to get those photos organized, even if it's a few a day. I have some tips below, but if you need more help, please let me know.

Tips for Organizing Digital Photos
1. Find a system you like. Personally, being a consultant time for another shameless plug,  I could not live without Creative Memories Memory Manager

http://www.mycmsite.com/sites/kropwithkathy/Content/Shop/Catalog.aspx?pr=BrowseCategory&s=/Hierarchy/Digital%20Solutions/Software/Software&dpr=BrowseCategory&ds=/Hierarchy/Digital%20Solutions/Software

This software allows you to pull in photos from your camera, phone, computer, flash drive, etc and easily organize them by categories. Unlike organizing them simply on your computer, with this software you can organize them in multiple folders at once, so that if you are ever looking for photos of a certain subject, for example photos of your kids together in the year 2013, you can click on the year 2013 folder, and your kids folder and ask it to show you only pictures that are in both folders. With 2 clicks  you would be able to find what you were looking for, instead of scrolling endlessly through photos. You can also rate your photos to narrow the search to those you absolutely love-5 stars, to those you kind of love-3 stars.  You set up your own folders, so the categories can be as broad as you want or, for me, type A crazy person that I am, as narrow as you want. Sharing to Facebook, or emailing is only a click away too.  On top of that you can get rid of the dreaded red eyes, or if you take lots of pictures that seem to dark or too bright you can change that as well.

2. Once you have a system, take time to use it.  I make a habit of monthly pulling all the pictures off of my phone, and camera cards.  I sort the photos into my folders and then BACK THEM UP on a dvd. 

3. Back up your photos!!!!  Once you've pulled them from a card or phone you need to back them up.  Computers are not safe, back up those photos! Memory Manager gives you periodical reminders to do just that, and is very easy to follow when you are ready to back up.

4. Once you back up, clear your camera cards, or phones of pictures you don't need access to all the time.  Camera cards were not designed to hold photos forever, and on the phone they take up space. Once they are safely stored in your file system, back them up and the delete them from the extra place they are.  Again, I do this monthly.

5. Finally, share them! On Facebook, via email, and PRINT some!  Put them on the fridge, in frames or in albums.  If you took the time to take them, take the time to share them.

I have a feeling a future photo organization tip will be about getting these photos in your life, so I'll save the rest of my ranting until then!

I LOVE photos, and I'm truly not trying to annoy anyone, but Memory Manager is so simple to use, and makes everything so organized, you really do need to check it out. www.mycmsite.com/kropwithkathy
Look for the tutorial/demo. It will be worth your time.