There’s nothing quite like seeing your loved ones and hearing their voices from decades ago. However, film reels and tapes degrade over time, so memories left on old technology are at risk of being lost forever. Converting them to digital (MP4) files ensures they’re preserved for you and future generations. Once digitized, there are many ways to watch, share, and preserve your movie files.
Do you have stacks of albums or loose photos languishing in drawers and closets? You are not alone. Tackling a large photo collection can be overwhelming and emotionally taxing, so it often lands on the bottom of our perpetual to-do lists.
It’s a new year with updated policies from several popular photo companies. Here’s the scoop and how to safeguard your photos.
With everyone being at home more than usual in 2020, many people decided to take on new hobbies or tackle back-burner projects. I was no different and decided it was the perfect time to curate the photo collection for the Baxter family (my parents, sister, me, and some extended family). Yes, a Photo Organizer needs to organize her own photo collection as well!
“How can you organize photos for others when you don’t know them very well?” I hear this question ALL. THE. TIME. And it’s certainly a valid one. As a professional Photo Organizer, I am able to sort and organize my clients’ photos because I spend time gathering information before we even get started. I ask my clients about their family, work, travels and experiences to help me get acquainted with the photos I will encounter in their collection.
Many people say they wish they had saved the voicemails of loved ones, especially after their loved one is gone. Our pictures tell so many stories, but to be able to hear your loved one’s voice again after they’re gone can lend a different form of comfort. Saving voicemails can also be a way to preserve your children’s voices that change as they grow. I recently saved some family voicemails and was astonished at the change in my teenage son’s voice over just the last couple of years!
Whenever someone asks me what I do and I tell them I’m a Photo Manager, they usually respond with interest (“Oh! I could use someone like that!”), but also confusion (“But what in the world is a Photo Manager?!”). So, I thought it would be helpful to share what Photo Managers do and how we can help you with your “photo chaos.”
Years ago when my kids were little I started a “Father’s Day Album” for my husband. The idea was to choose just a handful of photos of my husband with our kids each year, and update the album annually so that over time he would have a beautiful album showcasing his life as a dad. The first year I gave him a mostly empty album with just 10 pictures, but that’s okay – he understood the idea! And now that he has been a father for over 17 years, we have created a beautiful record of many of his memories with the kids. The best part is it’s a little gift to him every year, and it’s so easy for me to do! Also, he looks forward to it every year…
We are all missing out on sports, vacations, and more right now while our lives have been put on pause by the coronavirus pandemic, but my heart really hurts for graduating seniors. I have such happy memories of my senior year; it was filled with fun activities with my friends and celebrations of accomplishments that led us into exciting new chapters of our lives. I’m saddened for 2020 seniors who are missing out on these experiences leading up to graduation (and perhaps the graduation ceremony itself), so I wanted to share some ideas to help you celebrate a graduating senior in your life.
Here we are about a week into practicing social distancing, without a clear end in sight, and many people may be feeling a bit gloomy. This is an excellent time to embrace your photos in fun and creative ways. As we navigate this unprecedented, anxiety-ridden time, our photos can be a great source of joy and stress-relief. So check out these timely photo organization tips and resources to help you enjoy your photos and make progress on your projects!
I always loved the concept of a digital frame – it is a great way to enjoy your photos – but the first digital frames that came out about a decade ago were more trouble than they were worth. While my family and visitors enjoyed viewing the pictures, it became a chore to add or make changes to the frame. I had to add photos to a memory stick, plug it into the frame, and upload the new photos. I honestly don’t remember if my old digital frame stopped working or I just got tired of it and put it away…
Recently when I asked a new client how she heard about my company, she replied, “I searched the internet…I figured there is a service for just about anything now, so why not for organizing your photos?!” She is right; in fact, deciding to hire a professional photo organizer is similar to hiring a landscaper, a financial planner, or any other service person. We hire these professionals because they have the necessary skills, training and expertise, and they can provide us with a very valuable resource: time to pursue things we may enjoy more!
Anyone who takes digital photos would probably agree that it’s no easy feat to manage the ever-growing number of photos we take in today’s world. It was challenging enough when we had just one computer and one digital camera; nowadays it’s not uncommon for a family to have photos stored on multiple computers, smart phone cameras, tablets, Facebook, Instagram, and more. Just thinking about it might make you feel like throwing in the towel before you even start to formulate a plan to consolidate and organize your photos!
Last year my family celebrated two big milestones – my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, and my father’s 80th birthday. In the months leading up to these milestones, my sister and I often discussed how we wanted to celebrate our parents in a meaningful way, tossing around a number of ideas…
Do you or a loved one have a photo tucked away in a drawer or box that you’d love to have out and enjoy, but it’s too damaged to display? Infinity Photo Solutions offers Photo Restoration Services that can take your cracked, torn, faded, damaged photo and restore it to a beautiful image that you can then display in any format of your choosing.
We all know that with the sheer number of photos we take and the fast pace of life, it can be difficult to stay on top of our photos. In between working with my clients to help them organize their photo collections, I work hard to keep up with my own photos. I try to stay current on managing my photos by taking time each month to cull through them and delete the junk (do you really need that photo of the dress you thought you might buy?!) and marking my favorites.
This month marks 13 years since I launched Infinity Photo Solutions. While I've been helping people organize, preserve, and celebrate their photos for nearly 25 years, starting the company in August 2013 allowed me to make an even greater impact on the families I serve. Since 13 has always been my favorite number, I couldn't resist celebrating by sharing 13 things I've learned as a professional photo organizer and small business owner.