Im so excited about becoming a certified Digital Photo Organizer! In addition to my photography business, I am now offering clients Professional Digital Photo Organizing services. This means that I help busy families take their photo chaos and get it organized! Having an organized photo collection is something that everyone wants, but it’s an overwhelming task that not many people have the time to devote to. After being organized, your photos can be accessed, found easily, and most importantly viewed and enjoyed now and in the future. That’s the reason we take photos to begin with!

Now that everyone has phones and cameras on hand to capture their special moments, we’ve started to run into an issue….what do we do with ALL of these photos? Getting started with managing your photos can feel like an impossible job. But I’ve broken it down into five easy tips to help you get started!

STEP 1 : SET A GOAL

The first step of photo organization is to ask WHY. Why do you want to organize and save your photos? When I started this photo organizing journey, my goal was to take responsibility for where all of my photos were so they could be seen in the future by my kids (and grandkids!). I find it absolutely amazing to see the growth and the changes of my children. I want to remember everything and photos & videos are the only way I can relive our memories. Organizing my photos and creating albums to look back on makes this possible for me and it brings me joy.

I didn’t want to risk losing our family’s photo history.

All of my favorite images from the time my son was born are now organized and easily accessible in folders and will be printed in albums. It is such a good feeling knowing that the best moments will actually be seen!

So what is the reason why you want to save and share your photos? Thinking about this will help you stay motivated as you complete this project!

STEP2 - CONSOLIDATE

Do you know where your photos are? Do you have 10 different devices with photos? Let’s get those all consolidated in one location!

My best tip for getting started on collecting your photos is to make a list and then work backwards! You might think it makes sense to start at the beginning, but this can cause that overwhelming feeling that will hold you back from getting started at all. Make a list of where all of your photos are hiding and then slowly check off the list as you combine them together in one location, such as an external hard drive. Start with one device at a time and you’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish!

If you already have all of your photos in one location, move on to step 3!

STEP 3 - BACK UP, BACK UP, BACK UP!

The third step to of photo organization is to BACKUP your photos. There are many services available for photo back up. It doesn’t matter which one you choose as long as you know how to use it and access the photos. As a photo organizer and manager, I recommend the 3-2-1 back up strategy : Have at least three total copies of your data, two of which are local but on different devices, and at least one copy offsite.

Here’s a Tip: Unlimited full size storage on Amazon Photos is included with your Amazon Prime membership! Even if you already have a different system in place it’s still a good idea to take advantage of Amazon Photo storage.

STEP 4 - SORT

Now it’s time to organize! My biggest tip for starting this sorting process is to Ignore The Junk! If you’re anything like me, you probably have tons of random photos (anyone else’s kid take 52 selfies and 165 pictures of their toes? 🤪) Don’t start deleting images and trying to clean up your photo roll because you will never finish! Deleting is an endless task. Instead, skip over those junky photos and simply tap the heart icon (or star icon for Android) underneath a favorite photo on your phone. This will help you find your favorite images quicker in the future because you have already narrowed down your images to the best of the bunch. The favorites folder on your phone will keep these images sorted from the rest of the mess for you to access in the future.

STEP 5 - CREATE & SHARE!

There are so many ways you can celebrate and enjoy your beautiful memories. Get creative! Framing, photo calendars, even blankets and pillows can be fun ways to show off your images. Check out these 10 easy photo project ideas here if you want inspiration for more ideas! Photos make amazing gifts too!!

-Family Photo Album-

Most of my clients love the idea of creating an annual family album, or yearbook. This is something the whole family can pull out and enjoy years down the road. An easy way to create your family album is with MIXBOOK. Creating an album is my favorite way to enjoy highlights and the best family photos from the entire year!

Take the stress out of your photo mess. Photos are meant to be enjoyed, shared and passed on to future generations.

If you need some more help getting your photo organization project going I have the perfect options for you…

DIY Digital Photo Organizing Course: THE LEGACY PHOTO LAB
This course will teach you how to organize your photos for various devices and create a family photo album. You will learn not only how to manage the chaos of your ever expanding photo collection, but also how to safely back them up so you can access them and maintain a process so you can keep them organized year after year. Say bye bye to photo overwhelm.

Professional Digital Organizing Services:
Still feel like you just can’t manage it all or don’t have the time? I will take your messy photo collection from you and return it to you organized, secured, cleaned up, and easily accessible for the future. This done for you option is like magic! If you’ve been meaning to organize your photos but the days and years keep going by, it's time to ASK FOR HELP!

Overwhelmed with Too Many Photos? 5 Easy TIPS to Get PHOTO Organized