Organize Your Photos in 5 Easy Steps

It can feel daunting to even think about organizing your photos if it's been a long time, if you don't know where they are, or if they are scattered in multiple places.  But organizing your photos really can be doable!  

Following these 5 steps will get you there, and once your photos are well-organized you'll be able to keep up the system moving forward so it doesn't get so overwhelming again.  

Plus, these steps have an extra benefit:  

Your digital photos will be triple-backed-up and guaranteed safe for your lifetime so you can pass them on (without any monthly upkeep fees).  There's no need to download various programs or use a whole bunch of resources.  These steps are simple in addition to being secure!

NOTE:  I am a Forever affiliate called an Ambassador (a decision I made because I love it so much), so you will find affiliate links in this post. I earn a commission from anything purchased at my website, and being your Ambassador means I'm here to help you with questions, too.

Step 1:  Find out where all your photos are.  

Your digital photos and memories may be on multiple devices, phones, computers, flash drives, or external hard drives.  That just adds to the overwhelm and makes SEEING your pictures that much more complicated.  

Let's fix that.  We're going to get them all in one place.  This makes organizing (and finding them again) SO easy!  If you want to reduce your Photo Overwhelm, getting them into one place is a vital step.

First, gather all your photo "homes" together, either physically or just on a written list.  Get your phone and your camera and your old computer and your new computer (for example) together, or just write down that this is where everything is.  Do you have some stored with Google or Amazon or iCloud?

We're just looking at digital photos for now, but if you have old printed photos in albums that you'd like to get digitized so you have ALL your photos together, do Step 7 here in "Mastering Memory-Keeping in 8 Doable Steps."

Contact me if you have any questions!

Step 2:  Create folders and subfolders on your computer.  

An organizational structure like this makes photos easier to find.  I suggest organizing chronologically.  Since most systems organize alphabetically, I suggest--for example--making a 2001 folder.  Inside that folder, create subfolders, starting with 01 January 2001, then 02 February 2001, etc.  

If you have a lot of photos, I recommend starting with just one year.  In fact, it's often easiest to start with THIS year and just work backwards from there.  Getting one thing (like one year) accomplished makes the rest of it faster and easier.

I personally divide even further when I have a lot of photos from a big event.  For example, I might have a folder for a long road trip to California.  After I've got a 2008 folder and an 04 April 2008 subfolder, I want to divide up even further to make the pictures are easier to find, based on events.  Instead of trying to sort through 200 pictures from the California trip, if I know the one I'm looking for was from Sea World, it's nice to just have a Sea World folder.

I like listing them in order, too, such as 02 Monterey because we did that before we went to 06 Disneyland.  Without adding the numbers, Disneyland would come before Monterey.  

I have also made additional subfolders for events with a lot of photos by naming them Day 1 Monterey and San Francisco, Day 2 LA and Hollywood, etc.  This is optional, of course, but it really does help me find and enjoy my photos.

In Step 4, you will also have the option of tagging photos and adding descriptions to them.  Tags are searchable (so finding all the "Bob" or "beach" pictures will be a snap) using a more convenient and accessible resource than your computer.  If you don't want to set up a whole tagging system, you can simply add descriptions to each photo like "Bob and Sue went to Windandsea Beach after dinner at La Valencia in La Jolla" because descriptions are searchable, too!  

Step 3:  Move your photos to your computer.  (Digital Way #1)

Now it's time to fill your folders and subfolders.  Bring all the photos together from all your digital photo "homes" into one year on your computer.  (If you've got photos in the cloud like Dropbox or iCloud, that's ok--get them to your computer in this step anyway.  We'll talk more about this in Step 4.)

If you have so many photos that you don't have enough storage space on your computer, you can use an external hard drive if you like.  We will address the storage space issue with a fantastic solution in Step 5.  

Experts say to store photos 3 ways:  2 digitally and 1 in print.  

Once your photos are saved to your computer, you've got 1 digital way.  It's safest for the 2nd digital way to be offsite (meaning, out of your house).  If your house burns or floods and Digital Way #1 is damaged, you'll still have your photos.  

We'll get to Digital Way #2 soon, but first comes a very important step in making your photos more accessible and manageable.  

Step 4:  Cull.  Pick and Choose.  

Now it's time to go through your photos.  Immediately get rid of extra photos such as blurry photos, duplicates, etc.  They're just in your way.  And they may be contributing to that feeling over overwhelm. 

Next, sort through photos and choose must-have favorites.  You can certainly skip this part, but I recommend slimming down your photos for two reasons.  1- You don't want more photos than you can look at.  Keeping your photos at a manageable number can help us see and enjoy them more often.  2- We'll be buying permanent digital photo (and video) storage in Step 5, and since it's a per-GB price, you'll probably only want to pay for what really matters.

We take a lot of photos.  In the 19th century, it was best to keep every photo you had.  In the 21st century, it's best to pick and choose.  Not all photos are of equal value.  

If the amount of photos you have is overwhelming, it's time to look at them with a critical eye.  How many of the 50 pictures you took at the zoo are must-haves?  How many are special?  How many will be cherished 25 years from now?  Keep the must-haves.  You don't have to keep the rest.

If deleting photos feels hard, consider setting up a folder on your computer called "to be deleted."  It's sort of a middle-ground without being so final.  Once all five of these Organize Your Photos steps are completed, go back and look through the "to be deleted" folder and double-check to make sure you indeed can part with them.  When you're ready, delete the folder.  

Step 5:  Make Your Photos Last Forever: the Second Digital Way

Now you have access to your photos!  They're all in one digital place (your computer, or a hard drive if necessary).  They are organized, culled, and accessible, at least from your computer.  So let's step it up a notch and make your photos last forever with Digital Way #2 (which also includes a phone app so you can access your photos when your computer isn't around and when you don't have a lot of storage space on your phone).

It's very common for people to think that Google or Dropbox or SmugMug or Shutterfly or Amazon Photos (etc.) are a safe second digital way.  However, there is a lot more to them than meets the eye.  

Yes, there's a lot there about how your photos aren't private when stored there, but phrases like "change, suspend, or discontinue the services" and "terminate your access to our sites... with or without cause, and with or without prior notice" mean that my photos aren't secure in these places.  They might not be available to me next year or in 10 years.  It's not what I want for my memories.

Even something like a simple software update can have heartbreaking consequences.  Read Jordan LaCrosse's experience here in The Heartbreaking Consequences of an iOS 18 Update.

I know it can be tempting to take advantage of a few free GB of digital photo storage here and there, but trust me--it's safest to buy your cloud photo and video storage so that you own it, from a company without fine print like this.

And that's just what you're going to do in this final step of organizing your photos.  For Digital Way #2 of preserving your photos and memories, you'll be able to:

• own your storage without a monthly fee
• purchase more whenever you need it
• have a connected phone app so you literally have access to every photo you own without taking up storage space on your phone--click here to learn how the app works
• have private photo and video storage that's bank-encrypted and triple-backed up
• keep your photos accessible for your lifetime plus 100 years, guaranteed (so you can pass them on to your kids and grandkids)
• add descriptions (the story behind the photo; the details) to your photos as well as searchable tags--learn how at this video, starting at 6:43

That's what I want for my photos and memories, so I use and recommend a company called Forever. 

Step 5 is your final step where you'll move your well-organized, easy to find, streamlined photos to offsite permanent cloud storage you can trust.  Here are the 3 parts to completing Step 5:

1. Open your Forever account.  It's free and comes with a lot of really wonderful memory-keeping resources in addition to Forever Storage.  Click here to open your free Forever account in about a minute.  Plus, you'll get a $20 coupon for opening your account!  (I suggest using it for #3 below or for the Optional Step 6 you'll see shortly.)
2. Your Forever account includes 2 GB of free Forever Storage.  Depending on the file size of your photos, that's about enough for 250-500 photos.  Upload your newly-organized photos from your computer or external hard drive by first creating albums and nested albums (the equivalent of folders and subfolders on your computer) either by following the directions in the video below or by using *Valet.
3. As needed, buy additional Forever Storage at this link.  In my experience, most people need 25 GB, and it's cheaper when you buy in bulk, too.  You'll keep taking photos, so even if you don't think you need that much yet, you'll definitely fill it up.  (That's been true for me!)  Forever Storage is always on sale up to 25% off, and you can use my personal code for an extra 5% savings, too--just enter jennifer10383 at checkout.  You'll have an option to purchase storage in one payment or in 24 smaller payments, so choose whatever you prefer.

*For an Easy Button method of getting what you just organized on your computer (Digital Storage #1) into your offsite storage (Forever Digital Storage, #2), try Valet software by Forever.  It allows you to maintain the same organizational structure on your computer and upload in bulk to your secure Forever Storage.

That's it!  You've successfully organized your photos in the two digital ways experts recommend, plus you've got an app to now access all your photos straight from your phone (and upload them from your phone, too, if you want)!

Semi-Optional Step 6:  Store Your Photos in Print

I would call this "optional," but it's actually a really big deal.  Your photo organization and preservation is NOT complete without this!  And storing your photos in print has a few advantages above storing them digitally:

• Photos are only half the story.  Writing the memories next to the photos--journaling our experiences--is good for us!  Learn more about the personal, family, and mental health benefits of memory-keeping here.
• Pulling out a photo book makes our photos easily shareable.  (And when you create your photo books or digital scrapbooks with Forever, you actually get a digital PDF version, too, so you can share and preserve both physically and digitally!)  
• You don't need an expensive gadget (phone, computer) to be able to see your photos.  (And you don't have to worry if your book is fully charged or not.)
• Books make great gifts.  It's not really the same if you just email pictures to someone.

One thing you'll really love about Forever--aside from the highest quality books in the industry--is that if you're looking for a super fast way to make memory books, it's here.  And if you're looking for fully creative digital scrapbooking, it's here.  There are THREE ways to preserve your photos and memories in print.  You're sure to find exactly what you want.  Check out the three options and see what you prefer.

P.S. There's a really good way to always save an extra 5% on top of sale prices for both print and Forever Storage while always having a little money set aside for all the memory-keeping you want to do.  Plus, you can earn free Forever Storage (after you've purchased some) at the same time!  Learn more about Forever Club here.

Whew!  You did it!  You have learned how to organize your photos in 5 easy steps while also preserving them in two digital ways and one print way like experts recommend.  Plus, you've now got access to all of them through a convenient app, and your photos are secure, private, and guaranteed to be accessible to the next generation.  Congratulations!

Once you've followed these steps, keep going!  But don't forget to come back to this post and let me know in the comments how everything went!  Who do you know who would love to know about these steps, too?  Use your referral link and you'll both get a $20 coupon.  It doesn't get any better than that!

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Solve Your Photo Problems Once and For All with a Forever Gathering

Nike said it best:  Just do it.  

If you've got photo problems, I promise you that it's way past time to solve them.  So let's just do it!  You're just about to feel SO much better!

The biggest photo problems I hear people talk about are organization (including knowing where photos even are) and knowing what to do with them (store them digitally? preserve them in print?)

Today I'm going to teach you how to solve your photo problems once and for all in three do-able steps.

And, as a bonus, if you prefer, you can skip steps 1 and 2 and do everything at the same time in step 3--I'll help!  

Step 1: Learn a Little About Photo Organization

With so many digital photos floating around these days, it can be easy to be overwhelmed, but it can also be easy to not even know where all your photos even are.  You may have some on your phone, some older ones on a flash drive, and maybe some even print photos in boxes or old photo albums.

So, in order to solve your photo problems once and for all, learn a little about photo organization.  Don't DO anything yet, just learn.  Choose one of these videos to watch (or you're welcome to watch both).

This is part of the photo organization & preservation class I taught a couple of years ago.  The main meat of the video is a little less than 30 minutes, but there's some additional Q&A recorded at the end as well which you can choose to skip or watch.

That video showed some basic tips and organizational tools for organizing on a computer, along with a lot of other resources.  This is my favorite way to organize my photos in the cloud, not only because it's so simple (and has an app so I can access ALL my photos on my phone without having them actually saved there taking up space) but also because it's so unlike Google, Dropbox, etc., in terms of privacy, longevity, etc.

NOTE:  I am a Forever affiliate (a decision I made because I love it so much), so you will find affiliate links in this post, from which I earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

Step 2: Learn About Preserving Photos

Again, we're just learning here.  We'll start doing in the next step.

The first thing to know here is that there's a difference between storing and preserving photos.

I think about it this way:

• During the summer, you might store winter clothes somewhere that's out of the way so that you can have access to them when you want them.  
• To preserve something like a cell phone, you might put it in a protective case, keep it away from water, etc., so that it will last as long as possible while you're using it every day.  

When you're talking about photos, you really want to do both.  I think sometimes people assume that storing photos away somewhere in the cloud or on an external hard drive is preserving them.  Not necessarily.  

If they're shoved away in either a physical or a digital "box," they may be put away, but they're not kept alive.

Keep this in mind as you learn this advice from photo experts:

This advice is basically about not having all your proverbial eggs in one basket.  

Experts recommend storing photos 2 ways digitally (one onsite [at home] and one offsite [in the cloud]).  That way, if there's an emergency of any kind, from a fire to a simple water leak onto something electronic, you've got a backup.  

Experts also say we should store our photos in print. I assume this is because technology changes, you don't have to have electricity or a full battery in order to look at your photos in a book, etc.  But I believe that a book is the best way to preserve the memories behind the photo.  Without the details of the photo, its value dramatically reduced! 

Those photos, for example, mean nothing to you.  They carry a lot of meaning to me and my family. 

If you just have photos without details, your loved ones will look at your photos the same way you're looking at mine because they won't have any meaning behind them.

Next, learn all about preserving photos in 2 Digital Ways and 1 Print Way here.

Step 3: Get a Tribe at a Forever Gathering and Do What You've Learned with Your New Photo Circle

Now that you've learned about the two biggest photo problems out there, take what you've learned in steps 1 and 2 and identify your biggest memory-keeping problem.  What do you need to tackle first?  What is the biggest thing in your way?  

And if "not knowing where to start" is your biggest problem, that's OK, too!

Grab a scrap of paper right now and write down your biggest problem.  We're going to start there as we help you move to the doing part of solving your photo problems once and for all. 

Anything that seems like a big task is made easier with a friend.  Going on a daily walk or painting a room feels more do-able when you've got someone there doing it with you.

In almost 20 years now of coaching people on photo preservation and memory-keeping, I have learned that if you could do it on your own, you probably would have already done it.  There is a lot of power in both getting some help and getting a tribe.  

Here are 2 different options for you to consider here in this last step where you'll do what you've learned.  #1 is geared toward just getting help and #2 more toward getting a tribe.  Click each one for more information:

1. Master Memory-Keeping in 8 Doable Steps and/or How to Start a Photo-Preserving and Memory-Keeping Habit in 10 Minutes a Day and/or attend a Forever Gathering.
2. Get a personalized help with your biggest memory-keeping problem, and create a group you can work with moving forward at the same time.  Email me your biggest memory-keeping problem, the one you wrote down on the paper, at photoandstorytreasures@gmail.com and think about people you know who have photo problems, too.  Who do you know who would love getting some photo solutions, too?  We'll meet at a Forever Gathering to learn tools, tips, and strategies, and then you'll have a Photo Circle you can meet with regularly on your own so you can keep doing what you've learned!

We'll pick a date 4-6 weeks out that will give me some time to create a class personalized to your needs.  I teach these at no cost when at least 4 attendees are present (including you, the host).  I'll provide you with invitations to send to friends and family--and remember, since it's online, you can invite your old college roommate who lives on the other side of the country, too!

And as you may have noticed in the image above, inviting other people who begin using Forever as their memory-keeping tool (as I will introduce in the class) will give you a $20 coupon (for each person!).  The key is for me to provide each of your guests with your referral link, then once they make a purchase of any amount, you'll receive your coupon, which is good for 60 days.  

By the way, sometimes when I talk to people about "hosting" something, they start thinking about "parties" and "sales pitches."  My Forever Gatherings are sales-pitch-free.  Because:  ew.  (That's just not me.)

In addition to all those coupons, you even get a thank-you gift for hosting a Forever Gathering!

Choose the mug or the planner, and I'll mail them to you if you're not local to me!

Remember, hosting a Forever Gathering gives you and your friends personalized information and help to solve your photo problems once and for all.  Your friends become your Photo Circle.  You can get together regularly and work with friends to accomplish your goals and stay caught up!

Here's some additional information:

Once you've started your memory-keeping journey with friends, it's very easy to get together in-person or online for a monthly Girls Night or a weekly Lunch & Photos time.  This is your tribe.  You're all working and enjoying your photos, getting your photo problems solved once and for all!

It's brilliant.

Contact me for additional questions and to request the type of class you'd like me to teach. 

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Metadata: "Writing on the Back of" a Digital Photo

Metadata is a whole new world for anyone older than the internet.  Like me.  So if you'd like to learn a little more about what metadata is--and why you care--you have come to the right place.  

Although the meaning of the word "metadata" is technically "data about data," our focus here is how it's used with digital photos.  In that case, we can define metadata as the equivalent of "writing on the back of" a digital photo!  

You can read the basics of metadata for any file in general here but we'll focus on the two main kinds of metadata associated with a digital photo.

1. EXIF data is automatic and already part of the digital file (the digital photo) when it's created.
2. IPTC data is additional data, or information, that you add yourself.

EXIF Metadata Basics

EXIF metadata looks like this. When you take a photo with your phone or camera, your device automatically gives that photo a file name, such as IMG-1234. If you tap the information icon (an "i" with a circle around it) on your phone or after you've opened the digital photo on a PC, you can see more EXIF data such as the location where the photo was taken, the date it was taken, the camera information (if it was taken with a Kodak camera or an Apple 14 iPhone Pro), the size of the photo (4.4 MB, for example), etc. You can see that at the right in this image below.

A scanned photo's EXIF metadata is going to be off. Often, the "date taken" information is given as the date scanned, etc. You'd have to edit the EXIF data yourself to correct it.

You may be tempted to change the file name of a photo, but don't. Yes, IMG-1234 seems impersonal and nondescript, but a professional photo organizer I talked with recommends never changing the file name of a photo because keeping original file names is the easiest way to tell if you have duplicates.

Making your photo personal and descriptive by adding the real details of the photo--the reason that photo was taken--is where IPTC data comes in.

IPTC Metadata Basics

EXIF data is great and super useful. But this additional type of metadata is extra cool.

IPTC data is what you add to the photo yourself. For example, if you have this photo (above) with only EXIF metadata, you'll know the file name and the size of the photo and the date it was taken. That's it. And that's because this photo was taken with an old digital camera 15 years ago, so there's not metadata about the location of the photo. There's actually more metadata about the type of camera used to take this photo (it tells me a flash was not used) than there is about why this photo matters.

And that's why IPTC data is so important. I can add a description to the photo, such as "This photo was taken at Cannon Beach right outside Mo's. Bob is 2 and riding on Joe's shoulders. Sue is 7, and Max is 11. We had fun going..." I can tell you the story behind the photo.

IPTC data is whatever you want to add.

It's a lot like "writing on the back of" a digital photo.

Another form of IPTC data is tags. I might tag that photo "Oregon," "Cannon Beach," "Bob," "Sue," "Max," "Joe," "2008," "beach," or anything else I want. The capability to search tags helps you find a photo faster.

This little video shows you what that looks like:

Accessing Metadata for Your Photos

There are all kinds of programs where you can manage metadata. But an important thing to know is that most cloud storage platforms aren't particularly IPTC-friendly. If the photo ever leaves the platform--if you download it to your computer or email it to your mom--all that extra, meaningful information you've added is lost.

This is true for Google Photos, SmugMug, and Apple Photos, among others. In fact, Apple Photos changes how they handle metadata so frequently that they say they are "not IPTC compliant."

I feel like that's pretty lousy for platforms that don't even guarantee your photos will be around for the next generation and charge you a monthly fee anyway.  

If you use Forever Storage, on the other hand, you are purchasing your cloud storage so you own it forever--it's actually meant to be passed down in the future. And the tags and descriptions you add to your photos and videos in Forever Storage become part of the photos' permanent metadata. When you download or share the photo, all that special IPTC metadata you've added is there in addition to the EXIF data we always have.

If you use Forever Storage as your cloud photo preservation service, the metadata (and other information about your photo file) looks like this:

In order to make sure you're downloading your metadata with the photos from your Forever Storage, all you have to do is set it up that way in your account:

1. Login to your Forever account.
2. Hover over the person icon at the upper right, then select "My Account" from the drop-down menu.  
3. Select "Preferences" at the left.  
4. Turn on "enable with metadata."  It takes more time to download your files this way, so you'll get a notification (a notification bell in your menu) when it's ready to download.  You'll also have an option to click the box "ask me every time" if you want to include metadata with some of your downloads but not everything. 

Not all programs can read all metadata, either, so if whatever program you're using on your computer or phone doesn't do it, there are options like these.

NOTE:  I am a Forever affiliate (a decision I made because I love it so much), so you will find affiliate links in this post, from which I earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.

You really can tell the whole story behind a photo with metadata.  See?  (And I make a point to upload photos from my phone to my Forever Cloud Storage weekly--daily when I'm traveling--so that I can quickly type in all the details before I forget them.)  

See all that information under "description" I have circled in pink?  That's IPTC metadata I've added to my photo.  (And it stays with the photo when I download or share it since I added it in my Forever Cloud account.)

How to Always Have The Story Behind the Photos: Digitally and in Print

If you've been here a couple of times, you probably already know that photo experts recommend preserving photos and memories in 2 ways digitally and 1 in print.  Print remains one of the best ways to "store" photos, and you can include your memories right along with it in a book!

Plus, you don't need an expensive piece of technology like a phone or computer to access your photos when they're in a book.  And books are never low on battery.

Print is an excellent, highly-recommended way to make sure you always have the story behind the photo so that your photos are meaningful instead of just digital files.

digital scrap page from my 12x12 book created with Artisan software

If you're a fan of digital scrapbooking like I am, give Artisan a try.  If you're in the "who has time for that" camp, I definitely recommend the easy templates from Create & Print.  Both types are printed at the Forever Print Shop which provides the highest quality books in the industry (in papers, inks, and bindings).  Get started here.

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