FRIDAY PHOTO FOCUS

How To Organize Your Pictures

If you're like most of us, you probably have piles of pictures just waiting to be sorted. It is a daunting task, especially when you're just getting started, but there are few simple steps that can make it easier.

1. Schedule time.
This is the most important first step. Our lives are busier than ever, and it seems like something else always needs our attention more urgently than the box of pictures in the closet. The solution? Make an appointment with yourself and a personal photo organizer. Literally. Plan to meet on a regular basis. Treat this appointment as you would any other important task and you'll be amazed at how much easier it will be to sit down and sort pictures.

2. Sort.
And sort some more. Lay out your photos and begin to put them in piles by categories. Some people sort chronologically, others sort by family member or subject. You can choose whatever categories work best for you or come up with your own unique categories. The goal is to categorize pictures in a way that will make them easier to use when scrapbooking.

3. Label.
After your pictures are sorted, go through each category and label each picture. This is very important step to help you make sure you've captured the details of each picture. Scrapbooking is much easier when you can simply look at a picture, check the back, and know right away if the picture fits. Another advantage of labeling photos is that inevitably one or two will get separated from the rest. An accurate label helps you put those strays back where they belong. I suggest using Creative Memories photo labeling pencil for this. Ball point pens are not photo safe and can bleed onto the next picture!

4. Store.
There are lots of different ways to store photos, and which one you choose will depend somewhat on how you plan to use the pictures. For pictures you plan to use in a scrapbook, consider a Creative Memories Power Sort Box. This box will hold approximately 1200 photos neatly sorted in smaller removal containers for easy scrapbooking in the future. An added bonus is that the Power Sort Box is photo safe and looks nice if you just want to get your photos in order. You can also use a variety of photo boxes, slide in albums as an alternative for TEMPORARY photo storage.

For pictures you don't plan to use it's important to use a permanent storage system, again the Power Sort Box is what I use.
No matter what storage option you choose, look for containers that are acid-free.

Sorting through your pictures is sort of like building the foundation of a house, it's time consuming and not always as exciting as other steps of the creative process. But when you put the effort into doing it well you'll be rewarded with a solid base on which to build your scrapbook albums.

Remember the most important step is the first one...make an appointment with a personal photo organizer to get you started.

Make an appointment today...You and your family will not regret it!

Celebrating Ordinary Days and Extraordinary Ways!
Warm Regards,
Lisa