September is Save Your Photos Month
Save Your Photos Month is for you if your current system isn’t working well or if your photo collection could use some organizing. Now is a great time to devise an organization plan. Save Your Photos Month may sound daunting, but remember that you don’t have to complete it this month. Instead, review the five steps below and figure out how you can make small changes to start down the path towards progress. Let’s look at the five steps to help you get started.
Step #1 – Set Goals to Save your Photos
Setting goals gives a metric for success. You wouldn’t hit the road without a destination in mind and the same goes for your photo collection. Before you begin, ask yourself what goals you have for your photos. What do you want to do with the memories you save? Where and how would you like to display them? How can you organize your photos so that memories are readily available when you want to revisit them? What knowledge do you feel you need to obtain to be successful? By knowing the purpose behind saving your photos, you will have a clear path to achieving your goals.
Step #2 – Collect your Photos
Current digital photo technology and storage are great. Gone are the days of taking a roll of film in to be developed and waiting to see if/how your photos turned out. Now we simply click and save with a swipe or touch of a button. Even good things come with some challenge though and many find their digital images scattered in several different places and on different devices. Ask yourself. Do you have different photos saved on your phone, computer and other devices? What about albums and boxes of photos tucked away in closets? It’s time to bring all of your photos together under one photo hub. Even if they are not organized further at this time, at least you will have all of your images in one location.
Step #3 – Sort your Photos
Now that your photos have all been collected in one location, it is time to think about how you want to sort them. Don’t panic! You don’t need to make any hard decisions at this time. Your goal is to remove duplicates and dud photos. We recommend using the two second rule. Limit yourself to two seconds to either delete or save a photo. Save the walk down memory lane for another time. If it is not a good photo or a duplicate, click delete and move on. After you are done, you can then start organizing your photos. Many opt to put pictures in chronological order but you can also organize by person, place or events. Customize it to your preference.
Step #4 – Save your Photos
We often hear from our clients that they want to know their memories are safe and saved. We recommend taking a bit of time this month to learn more about backing up your photos. This month, The Photo Managers are offering over 45 classes from professional photo organizers on a wide range of related topics. Classes go live each Sunday through September and are available to watch through November 1st. Tune in September 20th to watch HOPE Organizing’s Lisa presentation titled “Back Up Photos on Your Phone:8 Apps.” Save Your Photos Month class registration is free on so sign up today. As a bonus, several sponsors are offering discounts during Save Your Photos month. Join to find out what HOPE Organizing is providing.
We know that it can be overwhelming to try to keep up with technology, so we started a new blog series known as “HOPE Recommends” where we give information on technology and discuss the pros and cons from a photo organizer’s perspective. In a recent edition of HOPE Recommends we discussed the many helpful features offered by FOREVER.
Again, this isn’t something that has to be finalized this month. Focus on safely storing and backing up your photos now so that you can organize them in the future. We recommend the 3-2-1 Back Up System. Have 3 backups in 2 different formats with one being offsite, away from your home or office. Learn more here.
Step #5 – Share your Photos
During step one we asked about your goals for your photo collection. How can you share your memories with those you love? The options are endless. Once your photos are organized you can create photo albums or print images to display on your walls. Can’t decide which one to display? No problem! Nixplay digital photo frames help you to relive multiple memories at a time. Learn more in our recent blog HOPE Recommends: Nixplay. The holidays are around the corner, so have fun and create some unique, personalized gifts to give this year using your images.
Save Your Photos Today
We hope that this has helped you see how some planning and a few simple steps can make a big difference. Save Your Photos Month can help you feel more organized and prepared for the upcoming holidays and 2021! Want more details about how to take your photo organization to the next level? We invite you to join our new Facebook Group where you can connect with others on the same organization journey. It’s a great place to receive daily tips and advice. In addition, remember to sign up to access over forty free classes offered through The Photo Manager website. Classes post each Sunday in September and are available to be viewed until November 1st.
Ready to chat with a professional photo organizer? Book a free consultation with Lisa and find out how HOPE Organizing can help you reach your photo organization goals. We can help you preserve and organize your collection for generations to enjoy and cherish.
Blog published on September 1, 2020
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