What projects do you want to accomplish this year? Do you have a photo project that has been on your mind but are feeling overwhelmed? Tackling your photos doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy your photos and the memories that they bring us.
Make a plan
What do you want to accomplish? Here are some of the common projects:
Gathering all of your digital photos from your multiple devices and create a digital photo hub. (Having all of your photos in one place)
Sorting through those old prints photos and having them scanned and added to your digital collection.
Creating a photo book highlighting the events of 2018.
Having your VHS or Super8 films converted into digital format so that you can view them again.
Prioritize
Which project do you want to start first? Next, break the project down into smaller sections allowing you to accomplish smaller goals.
Allow yourself time
It will take time to complete you project, book yourself a block of time in our calendar on a regular basis.
Start with Today
I suggest starting with today and move backwards through the years. Working with your most recent pictures is easier as you will remember the details more clearly. Once you have 2018 cleaned up move backwards in time. It becomes simpler to piece the puzzle together.
Backup, Backup, Backup
Remember that a good back up is key. Three copies, on three different devices, in two separate locations. Don’t take the risk of losing all of your photos.
Celebrate your accomplishments
Don’t forget to celebrate the small successes along the way and remember to share the stories!
Spring has almost sprung and and graduation season is just around the corner. Do you have a child that will be celebrating a graduation from elementary or high school, University or College in a few short months? It’s time to start thinking about how to mark that milestone event! Here are a few gift ideas to mark such an occasion.
Photo books are a wonderful personalized keepsake, here are a few ideas on how to set one up.
Your Life in Review
This is look back at the life and times of the graduate. You can use pictures that represent some highlights of your child’s life through the years. School events, birthday parties, holidays, vacations, sports teams, performances or those everyday photos that bring a smile to your face. Scan some report cards, art work or a photograph of a project or favourite toy and add them into the book. Be sure to leave some space for some text for a special message to the graduate.
Graduation Day and Party book
This will require a little help from your friends. Gather photos from all of the graduation events; prom, the graduation ceremony and the after party. Create a small book to remember the special day.
If the preference is for a digital format rather that a book, you can create a slideshow.
Gather your photos and pair them with music for a retrospective review of their life. It’s also easy to add a voiceover a message to the graduate. If you have any audio clips from their childhood, that would make a fun addition to the show.
What ever you decide, a personalized gift is very meaningful and is sure to be a hit! It will always be treasured by the recipient. Take some time to plan your project now, whether you plan to do it yourself or get some help from a professional.
About the Author:
Trish Keogh founder of Pictures in Place, the Photo Organizing Company and a mother of a recent high school graduate. Please contact info@picturesinplace.ca to discuss your project.
Simple steps to create a Year in Review Photo Book
Looking at family photographs on a screen doesn't have the same feeling as looking at photos in a tangible book. Do you remember flipping through photo albums? Do you find yourself feeling happy and nostalgic when you visit a loved one and looking at your childhood or family photo albums?
When we went digital we stopped printing photographs, the photos sat on the computer rarely enjoyed and shared. A number of years ago I decided that I would create a book for each year - a Year in Review album. As a family we love to travel and we take a lot of pictures when we are exploring new places. So every January my project is to create our Year in Review photo book and I’ll share my tips with you.
Share your Story
With your photographs, the places you went, the people that you met and the memories that you created.
Feeling overwhelmed?….break down the task
Here are some tips to help you with this project.
It may sound like a big task - but doing a little bit throughout the year will make it easier. Review your photographs every month as they come in, it’s much easier to review 4 weeks of photos rather than 52.
● Review ● Rename, Rate and Tag ● Utilize your software
Review your photos every month and decide which you will keep and delete the bad and multiple shots now!
Rename - using the year-month-day-who-what-where naming convention will allow you to retain important information about your photographs. Your photographs will be ordered chronologically and you will have all of the information about the photograph, it’s hard to remember all of those details as time goes by! It’s like writing on the back of the photographs.
Rate and Tag your photos - most photo organizing software allows you to rate your photos, tag those shots that are special to you and that are worthy of being added into your book, the rest can be kept as your backup photos. Use a consistent rating / tagging system through the year so that you can easily identify what will go into your photo book.
Utilize your software - Add those winning shots into a smart album or folder within your photo organizing software called “2016 Year in Review”. At the end of the year you will have a smaller collection of photos to choose from when it comes time to create your book.
Get your photos in the correct order
As this particular book is the year in review, your layout is likely chronological. Start in January and work your way through the year. Add a little bit of text - a short paragraph outlining the highlights of the year. Travel, special events or visitors that were hosted.
Choose your Layout
There are many different options to choose from when creating a photo book to suit every budget. Hard cover, soft cover, small or large formats. Many provide templates, with preset themes into which you can simply drop your photos into an allocated spot.
My personal preference is to have a consistent look for all of my photo books, I choose a blank book and then pick my background colours and layouts.
Add Text
I encourage you to add text - a few words about where your were, who you were with, or what the celebration was. As time goes by the details become hard to remember, and if someone picks up your book - the key details are there for them to “read your story”.
Share your Memories
Now that your book is done it’s time to enjoy and share it. It’s easy to order an extra copy for a family member too.
Sounds like a great idea, but don’t know where to start?
It is normal to have this feeling, so many years to get through. My advise is to start with the most recent year and then tackle the previous years, one year at a time.
About the Author:
Trish Keogh founder of Pictures in Place, a Photo Organizing Company. Please contact info@picturesinplace.ca to discuss your project.
The three things that people grab in case of a household fire or flood are people, pets and photos. Creating a Digital Photo Hub and reviewing your photo backup plan will ensure that your digital photos are safe and secure.
What is a Photo Hub and how do I create one?
A Digital Photo Hub (DPH) is the one place that all of your original photos are stored, ideally this should be on your computer or an external hard drive. It’s essential if you want to keep your photos organized and backed up! Once you have your DPH set up it’s where all of your original photos will live.
Characteristics of a good DPH
It’s dedicated, high capacity, accessible all the time, and intentional - not random.
An example is a dedicated folder on your computer or a dedicated external hard drive. Using your phone or online cloud solutions are NOT good places to store your original high resolution photographs.
A Dedicated Hub
This means that you store nothing but your photos there. Mixing other files in with your photo hub will create clutter and disorganization. Keep it free of anything not related. Create a photos folder on your computer or an external hard drive and keep all other files out. It is a logical place, the first place that you will go to look for pictures. When you want to find a photo you will have one place to look.
Have enough storage capacity
Our photo libraries are constantly growing so you need to ensure that you have enough space to store your photos. You are intentionally creating a home for all of your photos so they are not scattered on different devices. Storage devices are inexpensive so go for a minimum of 1TB.
Keep your hub accessible
Make it local, your original photos should live where you do, they shouldn't live in the cloud. Cloud storage can be an option for a backup copy.
Your hub must be intentional
Plan carefully where you want to store your photographs, don’t take a chance with your memories.
Back them up!
It is recommended that you keep multiple copies of your digital library. We recommend the 3-3-2 back up plan. 3 copies of your library on 3 different devices and in 2 separate locations. This ensures that your memories are safe guarded in case of a hard drive crash, flood or fire.
Start your new year by creating your dedicated Digital Photo Hub and reviewing your photo backup plan, you’ll be glad that you did.
About the Author:
Trish Keogh founder of Pictures in Place, a Photo Organizing Company. Please contact info@picturesinplace.ca to discuss your project.
