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Keep It Simple
If you like the idea of using photo boxes, here's a simple system that works for getting those incoming photos organized:
- Keep a photo box near the place you open mail.
- Make a tab for each month of the year by writing the month and year on the top of a 4x6 index card and file the index cards in the box.
- Keep a pen and extra index cards in the box for creating event-specific tabs, if needed. Store a photo-safe marker in the box as well for labeling photos.
Use Your System to Organize Photos On Arrival
Now you're ready to organize your photographs as they come in. Here's what you do:
Step 1. Weed out poor photos.
Look through your photos as soon as you get them home, preferably near a trash can. Weed out and immediately discard the ones you don't really like, didn't turn out (out of focus, too dark, red eyes, etc.) or are similar to other better photos.
Weeding out poor photos will save you storage space, and you'll have less to organize and label later.
Step 2. Mail those duplicates.
Did you order duplicates? Hopefully you did this because you had a definite purpose in mind. If so, separate them out now and send them to that friend or relative.
If you didn't have a reason to order duplicates, check out "What To Do With Those Duplicates" for some ideas of what to do with those extra copies.
Step 3. Label the photos.
Using a photo-safe marker, write the date, event, location and people pictured on the back of each photo on the extreme edge.
If you don't have time to immediately label each photo, at least write the dates and events on the outside of the envelope.
Step 4. Label the index card.
Jot the photo information (dates/people/events/location) on the appropriate index card in the photo box. Include any other special notes you want to remember and plop the photos into the box.
Step 5. Create special tab cards as needed.
If the photos are from one special event (e.g., "New York Trip," "Cousin Bob's Wedding"), create a new index card behind the appropriate month for that event. Write all your notes on the special event tab rather than on the month tab.
Step 6. Store labeled negatives behind photos.
Keep negatives in the labeled envelope behind the corresponding photos. Ideally, you'll eventually move them to separate storage, such as a 3-ring binder. (Check out "Contain the Negatives" for more on storing negatives.)
Next>> Tackle the Backlog
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