Dealing With Digital Disarray
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!
As a Photo Organizer, my goal is to help people gain control over their photos and alleviate the stress and guilt caused by having photos scattered among various devices and memory cards. If you want to learn a step-by-step plan for getting your photo life under control, I invite you to contact me for guidance.
“What’s the best software or app to organize my photos?”
This is a question I hear frequently from people who want to get their “digital disarray” under control. There are many different options for digital photo management, and it’s important to consider your own management needs and goals, as well as what computer hardware and devices you use, when making this decision. Not everyone will benefit from the same software or system. This is, in fact, part of what I do for clients — to help them find the right photo management system that will work for them! Here are some questions to ask yourself that will help you evaluate what system might work best for you:
How many photos do you have?
How many photos do you take and how often?
Do you have a Mac or PC?
Do you use multiple computers or devices?
Do you have a backup system in place?
Are you willing to have your photos stored securely in the cloud?
Do you want or need editing capabilities?
How do you want to be able to find your photos? By person, theme, and/or date?
How are your photos organized in an ideal world?
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Keep in mind that you don’t have to use software or a special app to manage your photos. Many people simply build an organized folder structure on their computer, with folders named by year and sub-folders by month, for instance. The downside to this photo management system is that it lacks sophisticated filtering capabilities to find your photos. Filtering means you can cross reference; for instance, you can look for a photo by date, person, and location. The upside to this photo management system is it’s very portable and you are not dependent on any photo management system that might change or go out of business on a moment’s notice (Picasa anyone?). You might enjoy a hybrid solution where you have your folder structure on computer but use a browser such as Adobe Bridge (free but you do need to sign up for an Adobe account) to be able to browse and manipulate your photos in a more picture-friendly environment.
Another option if you are a Mac and iPhone user is to sync your photos among all your devices using iCloud Photo Library. Usually what stops people from setting up the syncing among their iPhone, Photos App on their Mac, and iCloud Photo Library is their lack of understanding on how to do it. We can help you get this set up pretty quickly (and remotely!) and get your library organized so you can find and enjoy your photos again!
If you need help at any point in your photo organization journey, Infinity Photo Solutions is here to guide you or do it for you! Contact us today for a complimentary photo organizing consultation.