Reading Jeremy’s post earlier reminded me of what I consider “vital records” and are just as important to organize and protect - digital photos of family and friends!

We’ve spent most of the month sharing Resolution Solutions on clutter control, time-management and goal-setting tips, but Mel Rosche passes on several very useful tips on how to organize your digital photography (and, yes, this does mean that the images have to come off your camera and on to your computer first!):

Create a structure to store your digital photos! Start with a file called 2008. In that file create subfiles for the events when you expect to take pictures such as: Winter, Vacation, Joey’s Birthday, Home Inventory, Back to School, Christmas. As you download your photos, place them in the appropriate file. Individual pictures will be easier to find and at the end of the year you can create a 2008 DVD for storage.
- Mel Rosche of New Day, New Direction

I emailed back and forth with Mel about this topic, and I highly recommend her technique. I take it even one step farther and have a consistent year-month-day-topic I use when I import my photos - example: 2008-01-01-NewYears. Why? I can’t stand for the photos to be out of chronological order. As long as I stick with the same file naming system, they go from the beginning of the year to the end, and it’s much easier for me to find the photo I’m looking for (say around holiday card time!). Plus, all the photos are nice and organized when stored (I have folders for 2002 through 2006, and it’s time to pack up 2007!).

Speaking of storage, Mel also suggests a tip to help you weed out the “marginal” photos that you inevitably take, so you are sure to store only those worth keeping:

With digital photography we take lots more picture than we need! When you download your pictures, review them keeping only the pictures you will want a year from now. If you really can’t let go of the marginal photos create a file called “marginal photos- delete July 08.” If you haven’t used them by then, delete the file. No need to review them a second time!
- Mel Rosche of New Day, New Direction

Cameras are advancing, so it’s getting easier and easier to take less “marginal” photos, but there really is no point in clogging your computer with that pic that only caught half of Uncle Brian smiling. My girls use the dig camera now taking their own pictures -and there’s really nothing better than a picture of a half-eaten apple or their untied shoe to make you hit “delete”!

Next topic on photo management is what to do with all these photos on your computer! Mel’s sound advice above is to back them up on a CD or DVD for storage. You never know when you might lose a particular computer (spilled apple juice, for example, does not make a CPU happy) or even just accidentally delete some important files. Backing up your photos regularly is important.

I have a favorite online photo service that I use to manage all my pictures. With my account, I have online back up for an unlimited amount of images at full resolution. But my favorite thing is their Desktop Organizer - you can download this desktop tool on multiple computers that all access your photos online, so they are up to date no matter which computer you are on. And, if your friends or families download the same tool, they’ll get the photos in their organizer as soon as you share them. It’s very cool!

One last thought after all this advice on organizing and managing your digital photos - ENJOY THEM!

Don’t let your photos linger on your camera or your computer. Beyond prints, there are so many more things you can do with digital images. Go beyond the flat print or photo book to something you can watch and enjoy as a group. Mel suggests turning them into a slide show that you can play on your TV. With photo software you can load on your computer or many online photo websites, there are lots of creative ways to make something with those wonderful pictures.

I am absolutely, 100% obsessed with making photo montages with the help of a photo website called One True Media. I can upload pictures AND video. I can add my own music. And, I can make a montage that is DVD quality. Can’t upload? You can even send it to them to do it. Then, you can share your montage via email and the web - or order a DVD and even customize the case especially for Mimi and Pops! (For the really adventurous or parents of teenagers, the montages can even be added to Facebook and other social websites or embedded in a blog.) I produced one after the end-of-the-year picnic at school and all the parents got a copy. And, if you are a Tivo subscriber, you can set it to automatically download your creation and share it with others. My parents, in-laws, aunts and uncles and friends across the country all tune in to the “Maeve & Charlotte Channel” and enjoy! We all watch them over and over and over again - and then I’m so glad I’ve taken and organized my pictures. (I swear, y’all, you know I do not work for this company - I just love the finished product so much. And, I’m getting so good at making them I’m thinking maybe that will be my next career! )

Thanks to Mel for all her fantastic suggestions to help everyone with their digital photos!