Tag Archives: print Photos

Major Takeaways from the 2014 Association of Personal Photo Organizers Conference

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If you’ve ever attended a professional conference, you can relate to that energized, yet frenetic post-conference feeling you have upon returning home.  I have a “post-conference routine” that I engage in to ensure that I capitalize on my conference experience as much as possible.  This routine includes creating a list of core takeaway messages, as well as a list of action steps for implementing all of the new business ideas that conference attendance invariably conjures up.

APPO conference

Earlier this week, I returned from the Association of Personal Photo Organizers (APPO) conference in Dallas and finally had a chance to create my list of core takeaway messages from the conference.  In today’s blog post, I’ll share the list with you.

 Takeaway #1:  

There is a monumental need for photo organizing services

The photo organizing industry is a field that is currently in its infancy.  The field has emerged as a consequence of the huge volume of photos that people have amassed since the advent of the digital camera, as well as the ever-changing sea of technology that has significantly impacted the way in which we capture our memories.  People are often too busy and/or too overwhelmed to regularly manage and safeguard their photo collections on their own.

The need for help is significant.

appo conference too many digital photos

Takeaway #2:  

Our photos are sacred to us

It’s certainly not an earth-shattering revelation to say that our photos are very important to us.  During the conference though, I came away with an enhanced appreciation for just how important a role photos play in our lives.  This message really hit home as I listened to several presenters discuss their amazing stories of various photo rescue efforts following natural disasters that have occurred across the U.S. and Canada.

Because photos are so sacred, it is vital that we all take the necessary steps to ensure that our precious memories are safe in the event of an unthinkable disaster.
appo conference natural disaster photo recovery

Takeaway #3:  

Our photos are everywhere…and that’s a problem

One of the consistent themes throughout the conference was the need to address the universal challenge of having our digital photos scattered across many different devices.  The typical person has segments of their photo collection stored on their phones, tablets, laptops, cameras, and memory cards/flash drives.

The first step for putting a photo management system in place is to establish a digital “hub”–that is, a centralized place where all images will ultimately be stored, once collected from the original image source.

This image created by my APPO colleagues at PSG Photo Solutions provides a useful illustration of the digital hub concept.

 

appo conference central hub for photos

 Takeaway #4:  

Our photos are not properly backed up…and that’s a problem

Another key component of a good photo management system is setting up an appropriate back up system for your photos.  Several conference presenters shared alarming statistics regarding the percentage of people who don’t back up their photos on a regular basis, or have NO back up system in place whatsoever.

In addition, many people back up their photos to CD/DVD and are under the impression that their photos are safe for the long-term, when in fact, the average shelf life of the typical CD/DVD is 2-5 years.

Takeaway #5:  

The way that we share our photos has changed over time

We print less photos, but share more than we used to.

While rates of photo printing have decreased, the variety of ways in which people “interact” with their photos has increased.  People are choosing to be more creative with their photos, using  photo books and photo products for displaying and sharing.

Of course, the advent of the smart phone, tablet, and picture sharing sites have also contributed to the demise of the print photo.

Friends Using Digital Tablet in Park

Takeaway #6:  

We take a lot of bad photos…but that can be easily remedied

During the conference, I had the opportunity to hear well-known photographer Nick Kelsh discuss the need for ruthless purging of bad photos (and according to him, bad photos are an epidemic).  So many of us tend to keep every single shot we’ve ever taken.  Don’t be afraid to throw away the blurry ones…and the photos of your foot that you took accidentally.

Nick also offered these simple, yet powerful tips to reduce the number of bad photos you will eventually need to cull from your collection:

appo conference Nick Kelsh photography advice

 

Managing Your Print Photo Collection: Step 2 – Safeguard

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In Part I of Managing Your Print Photo Collection, we gathered our photos together with our photo organizing “tool box” on hand, and decided which photos were “keepers”. We then determined the sorting themes/categories for our collection, after first performing a rough chronological sort. Once we’ve completed the sorting and purging process, we need to take the necessary steps to safeguard our photos for the long-term.

 

SAFEGUARDING YOUR PRINT PHOTOS

 

  • Use only archival-quality photo boxes (to store B Photos) and albums (to display A Photos). Archival quality products are acid and lignin-free, so they will not accelerate the natural deterioration process inherent in print photos. Some great sources for these products include: Archival Methods and University Products.

 

  • Scan your print photo collection to create a digital version of your photos. If you have the time and the right equipment, you can complete this job yourself. Alternatively, you can outsource this task and have a professional photo organizer complete it for you. You’ll need to decide if it’s worth the investment to digitize your entire collection, or perhaps just your “A Photos”.
  • Once your collection is digitized, put a redundant back-up system in place so that your digitized print photo collection AND your collection of digital images are protected. Your back-up system should include an external hard drive back-up, as well as storage “in the cloud”. There are a large number of cloud-based options, including those that offer storage only (e.g. Drop Box, Carbonite), as well as websites that include photo management features as well as photo storage (e.g., Flickr, Photobucket). You may also want to consider using Picture Keeper as part of your back-up system. When you plug this flash drive device into your computer, it automatically finds and copies all image files located throughout your computer’s hard drive.

To make it even easier for you to put a back-up system in place for your photos, Picture Keeper is offering a deep discount on their products during the month of November:

 

Save 28% on Entire Purchase with Free Shipping!

 

Once you’ve organized and safeguarded your print photo collection, it becomes much easier to integrate these precious memories back into your life. By creating digital photo books, online albums and traditional scrapbooks for yourself and others, you and your family members will be able to enjoy reliving these special moments for years to come.

 

 

Need assistance putting a back-up system in place for your photo collection? Contact Natalie Gallagher at Refined Rooms LLC to learn more about photo organizing services.  We are a proud member of the Association of Personal Photo Organizers.
 

Managing Your Print Photo Collection: Step 1 – Organize

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PAPER REFINEMENT SERIES

Did you know that Paper Management is the number one reason that people hire a professional organizer?  Despite our society’s best efforts to “go paperless”, excess paper clutter is a universal challenge in the homes in which I work.  This post is the second in a series of blog posts that will focus on paper management.

If you ask people what possessions they are most likely to salvage from their home if it was on fire, they are likely to say their photo collection.  Ironically, managing our photo collections is typically a very low priority on our “To Do” list.  Dealing with those shoeboxes full of print photos is one of those tasks that most people plan to tackle “someday”.   A disaster is not the only way photos can be destroyed.  If your photos are improperly stored, you run the risk of losing your precious memories to damage caused by acidic papers, inks, and glues, as well as mold and mildew.  By setting aside time to properly organize and safeguard your old print photos, you will be better able to enjoy them and share them with others for many generations to come.  In today’s post, I’ll provide some basic tips for tackling the organizing process.

ORGANIZING YOUR PRINT PHOTOS

  • If your photos are scattered throughout your home, the first step is to gather all of your photos (including loose photos and photo albums) in one central location.  This location should contain a large, flat work surface.  A dining room table works great for this purpose.

  • Before you begin sorting photos, make sure you have the necessary tools available.  Your photo organizing “tool box” should include:
    • Cotton gloves (to protect photos from skin oils)
    • Post-It notes/pen (for labeling your categories)
    • Photo safe pencils (for writing notes on the back of photos)
    • Dental floss/hair dryer (for removing stubborn photos from any “peel and stick albums”).
  • Complete an initial “rough sort” by sorting your photos by decade, using shoe boxes to contain each decade.
  • Next, go through each “decade box” and fine-tune your sort.   I recommend sorting photos by theme.  Some common themes include:  Holidays, Travel/Vacations, Sporting Events, School Days, Celebrations, etc.  Sorting categories are based on both your personal preference and the content of your particular collection.

 

  • As you complete the fine-tuned sort, implement the “ABC’S Method” (developed by the Association of Personal Photo Organizers) to determine which photos to throw away, pass along to others, archive in boxes, and set aside for display/sharing:
    • A Photos:  A stands for Album.  These are your most important and cherished photos; to be displayed in an album, frame, and/or shared online with others;
    • B Photos:  B Stands for Box.  These photos are important enough to keep, but not worthy of displaying necessarily; to be stored in archival quality boxes;
    • C Photos:  C Stands for Can (as in Trash Can!). These photos are not worthy of keeping; to be thrown away (blurry, unflattering) or given to others (duplicates);
    • S Photos:  S Stands for Story.  These photos that might seem unimportant at first (for example, an older photo of a random house), but actually tell an important family story (the photo is the house in which your grandfather grew up).
  • Try to move as quickly as possible during the sorting process and avoid reminiscing.  There will be plenty of time for that once your project is complete!

In my next post, we’ll discuss the ways in which you can safeguard your print photo collection once the organization process is complete.

Want to learn more about Natalie Gallagher and Refined Rooms?  Visit www.RefinedRoomsLLC.com. 

Refined Rooms LLC is a proud member of the Association of Personal Photo Organizers!