Virtual Clutter and How to Sweep it Under the Carpet

With the arrival of digital cameras many of us have traded in our shoe boxes filled with photos for virtual files full of photos. And because we take more digital photos than we used to take with film, these photos can quickly become a mountain of virtual clutter.

Here are a few basic tips for keeping your digital photos organized and easily accessible.

First of all, you have to figure out what works for you. Our minds all work differently and what might be the best set up for me may not work effectively for you.

I think one of the most important things to do is to remember to upload your photos every time you take a sequence of photos from a certain event.

That way you can ensure that you have a file with a clear name that will trigger the memory of exactly what resides in that particular photo. Then you won't waste time searching through hundreds of photos to find that one that you want to have printed to send to Aunt Sophie.

The way I categorize my photos is as follows:

I have a main folder for the year we are in.

example: My Photos for 2008

Then within this folder, I have sub files with the months of the year.

example: My Photos for 2008
January

Then each of the months have the photos shot within that month uploaded and named accordingly (I generally take a lot of photos so also put the date in front numerically which causes them to come up in order of date within the folder.)

example:
My Photos for 2008
January
Sledding at Crystal

or

January
01.24 Sledding at Crystal

Please don't forget how important it is to back up your photos on cds or on an external hard drive on a regular basis.