The Blog

Home » Blog » What is Photo Organizing?

What is Photo Organizing?

Have you ever lost your photos?

Perhaps your phone took a swim, was lost or stolen, or maybe your computer crashed and your photos weren’t backed up. We’ve all heard the tragic stories of families who have lost all their possessions, including photos, in a natural disaster or house fire. When faced with a potential emergency, photos are usually at the top of the list of what people will rush to save.

So what if there was a solution that would ensure all your most precious memories were secure, even if disaster struck? That no matter what might happen to your home or your technology, you could breathe easier knowing that your photos are safe and could be easily retrieved if needed.

Working with a professional photo organizer can give you peace of mind and confidence that your photos are secure and accessible – always.

My ultimate goal is to help you ENJOY your photos. Given the sheer volume of photos taken each year (1.4 TRILLION is the global estimate, just for 2021!), it’s understandable that you’ve maybe felt overwhelmed by your photos at some point. Often the stress comes from the fear of possibly losing your photos. Here’s the solution: follow the 3-2-1 Rule!

3 copies of your photos,
on at least 2 types of media (external hard drive, different cloud services, etc.),
with at least 1 copy off-site / in the cloud.

So how does photo organizing work? As I mention on the Sorta Awesome Podcast, I start every client project by asking, “How are you currently using your photos?” and “How do you want to use your photos?” That conversation is key to helping each client build a system that meets their needs. And it’s also totally okay if you don’t really have answers to those questions! I’ll guide you through the process and decisions.

Step 1: Centralize Your Photos

Get all your photo sources – phones, computers, external hard drives, memory cards, etc. in one place. Then we’ll begin to transfer all the digital sources to an External Hard Drive (EHD) – your Photo Hub. This is the step where I need the client’s assistance before I take over with all the digital work.

Download this FREE PDF: Centralizing Checklist // Where Are Your Photos?

Step 2: Delete Exact Duplicates

This is the fun part! Using software to help me analyze the metadata of your photos, I delete exact duplicates. (Not slightly different poses. You get to decide which smile is best!) It’s pretty satisfying to free up LOTS of space for clients in this step.

Step 3: Sort to Folders

For most clients (and my own photo library), we use a year / month folder system. Your photos are automatically sorted based on their metadata, so I always like to have clients spot check the results after this step to verify things are correct.

Step 4: Back up Organized Photo Library to Other Sources

I follow the 3-2-1 Rule for all my organizing clients, which means having 3 copies of your photo, on at least 2 kinds of media (like EHD, cloud, etc.), with at least 1 copy off site or in the cloud. Once the organizing is complete, the finished library is backed up from the EHD to your other chosen platforms, such as Dropbox, OneDrive, Amazon Photos, a NAS drive or an additional EHD, etc.

Step 5: You ENJOY Your Photos!

This is the “photos at your fingertips” step of the process, when the work is complete and you can sit and enjoy all your stories and memories! During your wrap up call, you’ll learn how to do the annual maintenance of adding new photos to your library or you can schedule a Maintenance Session if you’d rather I do that work for you. And then the fun part of making photo books and other projects begins!

I need this! What's next?

Great! I’m excited to work with you! Click here to book an organizing session.

More Resources & Things to Know...

Podcast Appearances

More questions? I offer one-on-one coaching when you book a Digital Consult! We can even screen share so I can better assist you with your specific needs and I promise no question is dumb!

I’d love to help you organize your photos and design a backup system that will work for you and have your photos at your fingertips.