Photography Information

Passionate Organizing: How To Create A System To Organise Your Digital And Traditional Photos


Digital photography promises much. Store your photographs on your computer, print them when you want, email them to friends and family - share them to your heart's content. Couldn't be easier, could it? So how come that for most of us storing and sharing our photographs is a bit of a nightmare?

The ease of using a digital camera is its very undoing. It's easy to take some shots and then 'work on them later'. The trouble is that 'later' doesn't happen often enough and we build up a huge backlog of images that we have to sort and process. That's where things start to get untidy. Very soon you won't know what you've printed or you won't be able to find the original file of that cute shot that your wife wants a copy of.

So what's the answer? As the Greek philosopher Hesiod put it nearly 3,000 years ago, "It is best to do things systematically and disorder is our worst enemy." You need to plan a system for processing your photographs and be systematic in everything you do

You probably remember that after the thrill of your first digital camera, you began to realize some of its limitations. Without a computer or other digital device, it's hard to share them with granny or the cousins back home. You realize that you have to have traditional prints to pass around and share.

So the planning system you adopt must cater for both digital and physical prints - you need a single system that organizes both and ensures your precious memories are stored forever.

Here's a six point plan to establishing your own system.

1. Decide how you want to organise your photographs

Without a system, you'll just get a list of meaningless file names. The longer this goes on, the harder it will be for you to find the photos that you want.

You've got to have a system - a way of organising - one that suits you. I choose to organise my photos by event - but you could do it by date, by family member or by whatever is meaningful to you.

Under 'My Pictures' on my hard drive, I have four sub-folders - Family, Business, Holidays and 'The Best'. The first three are self-explanatory; 'The Best' is where I keep images of which I'm particularly proud.

2. Create mirror images on both your computer and photo album

People love traditional prints so no matter how proud you may be of your computer skills, to really share your photos with friends and family, you'll need physical prints to pass around. And to get the most from your memories you should have a single system that runs across both.

Once you've decided on your system - use the same categories on both your computer and your physical photo album.

3. Taking your photos

Snap away happily but don't carry around useless photographs on your camera or waste your time downloading them before deciding to bin them. As soon as you've taken photographs have a quick look at them and dump the ones that don't look special. Be ruthless and immediate.

4. Downloading back home

The temptation is to rush and get the exciting photos on the machine. This is where discipline is needed. You need to have an uninterrupted session. If you can arrange that easily fine. If you can't you should set aside a regular time once a week to do all your photographic work.

There are four tasks:

  • Download your photographs onto your hard disk

  • Edit them, e.g. get rid of red eye

  • Give each file a meaningful name with a date - so instead of 'P1010012' use 'Sarah on the beach 07/03'

  • Save them in the appropriate folder.

Now make a back up copy. This is essential - you don't want to risk losing your images. I use a ZIP drive for back-up.

5. Print your photographs

Plan what prints you want, print them and put them into your album immediately. Update your album index as you do so.

6. Store them and show them (but don't ever give them away)

Never give your album photographs away. If someone wants a copy, resist the temptation to hand them your album copy. Instead, print them a new one or email them a digital version.

About The Author

Kesh Morjaria is passionate about organising and runs Arrowfile.com. He provides an extensive range of organizing products that are used not only in the home but by professional photographers, collectors, local government, museums - even police forces. You can find the full range at http://www.arrowfile.com.

kesh@arrowfile.com


MORE RESOURCES:

PC World

Getting Started in Digital Photography
PC World
Recording our lives with digital photography is so commonplace today that it has become second nature. In 1985, who would have thought to shoot a panoramic ...
Browse Cameras - Page 1PC World

all 2 news articles »


KIDK

Photography winners hang in EIRMC halls
KIDK
IDAHO FALLS - A new photography exhibit featuring 18 winners of an Idaho Falls Magazine Photo Contest is unveiled at EIRMC. ...

and more »


TSS Photography Teams Up with USA Football Nationwide
dBusinessNews Atlanta (press release)
Atlanta , GA ] – TSS Photography, the nation's leading youth photography franchise, announced today that it has been named the official photography partner ...
TSS Photography Earns Prestigious 2010 Franchisee Satisfaction AwardPR-CANADA.net (press release)

all 4 news articles »


Photography class offered
NorthJersey.com
The Emerson Community School is offering a six-session photography class during the spring session for novice or intermediate photographers. ...



DCist.com

Art scene listings for the week beginning March 11
Enterprise News
By Anonymous RUSSIAN PHOTOGRAPHY: See some of the finest and most avant-garde Russian photography of the past 50 years now through March 19 at Bridgewater ...
Arts AgendaDCist.com

all 2 news articles »


ARTINFO

AIPAD Photography Show Preview
ARTINFO
NEW YORK—The Association of International Photography Art Dealers marks the 30th edition of its annual Photography Show this year with a fair that will ...



Blockshopper

SAIC photography professor selling Loop condo for $2.299M
Blockshopper
Mr. Kostiner has been a photography professor at the Art Institute of Chicago. He holds a BA from Brown University and an MS in photography from Illinois ...



Great Mall welcomes Phantom Art Gallery
San Jose Mercury News
Great Mall, the largest outlet and retail shopping destination in Northern California, invites photography-art enthusiasts of the Bay Area to enjoy this ...



Blockshopper

Photography teacher, HR analyst buy Parkland 5BD
Blockshopper
She is also a high school photography teacher at the School of the Future, a Brooklyn artist-run school. Earlier, she held teaching positions at Coral ...



Guardian Camera Club: Erichands on night photography
The Guardian
This portfolio evokes a crowded, lonely and confusing city, and one image stands out as defining London life perfectly. The sweaty double-decker bus, ...
Guardian Camera Club: Nikonpap on night photographyThe Guardian

all 2 news articles »

Google News

Home | Site Map

Powered By: Free Work At Home Business Opportunity!

© 2006