Mention the word “bulldog” to anyone in my family and this image will come to mind before the image of an actual bulldog. This is me at about age one and as you can see I was a chubby baby with lots and lots of rolls! That, coupled with the expression on my face, earned this photo the tag ‘bulldog’. I don’t have any recollection of this event but this photo is always referred to as the bulldog photo in my family.
That family detail is known in the storytelling but would be lost in digital translation if it weren’t for the renaming techniques I use. With the ability to take a picture so easily these days we all have lots photos to keep track of. They can become a jumbled mess lost on a hard drive or phone and as time passes it’s easy to forget about specific pictures. Here are a few simple steps to control and preserve your photographic memories, including naming conventions.
Step One: Keep all of your photos in one place by having a Master Core File Structure to store your images in. Create your file structure with folders by year and then by month as shown here.
Step Two: Creating file names that are relevant and have meaning makes finding photos easy when they are needed. Using the When, Who, What, Where method to rename photos embeds meaningful information into your file name. As shown in this examples below, which are copies of the same image. The first file name provides so much information at a glance whereas I would have to open the second image to find anything out about it.
Step Three: Ensure that your photos are backed up! It is recommended that you have a 3-3-2 back up system - 3 copies of your library, on 3 different devices and in 2 separate locations.
We take photos to capture life’s moments; taking these simple steps ensures that you will can access them easily to enjoy and share! You want to be able to find your own bulldog in a haystack when you need it!
About the Author:
Trish Keogh is the founder PICTURES IN PLACE, a Photo Organizing Company. Please contact info@picturesinplace.ca for more information.