Decluttering Photos and Organizing Them
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Photos are visual journals of our lives, and it’s not unusual to have more than we need. While we want them to capture important moments, that’s not always the case.
The problem is that taking many photos results in large volumes of pictures that take up physical and digital space.
It goes without saying that photos are sentimental items and as a result, will be more difficult to declutter.
So, when you’re ready to pare down your photo collection, here are tips for decluttering photos and organizing them.
Sorting photos
Start with sorting your photos.
As you sort through them, group them in various categories, such as vacations, school photos, special occasions, etc.
If you do so, your decluttering process will be less overwhelming.
The key is having a good balance of photos you consider meaningful and look great at the same time.
Decluttering photos
You want to hold onto the photos that you like and believe are worth keeping.
Be on the lookout to discard and delete the following:
Duplicates and photos you don’t like
Get rid of duplicates! Sorting through your photos and discarding similar photos and ones you don’t like involves a lot of work, but it’s a crucial step when decluttering photos.
Do a little bit every day, and you’ll be surprised how much you can get through in a month.
Once you’ve winnowed down your collection, it’s time to go through the digital ones.
Digital photos can be a clutter problem because they can pile up quickly and take up a lot of space. Discard any low-resolution versions that are not sharp enough for printing or sharing online. Delete all those duplicates as well.
How many selfies do you have? Consider cutting down on the number of them and removing any unnecessary content, such as space at the edges, watermarks, and logos. Your photographs will appear cleaner and tidier in this way.
Blurry or uninteresting photos
When decluttering photos, it’s important to delete ones that are of poor quality or are just plain uninteresting.
Yes, uninteresting is subjective and different for all of us. Still, there’s got to be some in your collection.
Over-exposed photos don’t look good printed, so it’s best to get rid of them.
Pictures of strangers
Now, you may find photographs with people you don’t know. Before deleting or removing them, check with your family first; they might be related.
What is the best way to organize photos?
I believe you’ll agree that decluttering photos may take time, but the advantages are well worth it.
There are several conventional and innovative methods to store and arrange your digital and physical photographs.
Storing digital copies on an external hard drive or cloud storage service
Storing digital copies on an external hard drive or cloud storage service is good for keeping them safe from being lost due to computer malfunction.
Be mindful of storing photos on CDs or DVDs, as they may not be compatible with future devices. In addition, they have a larger risk of future degradation than regular hard drives.
With all the advances in technology, storing digital copies of your favorite photos is pretty easy.
Nowadays, you can store photos on your phone or computer permanently instead of printing them.
One important thing to remember when organizing your digital photos is to save them in separate folders with relevant names to make them easier to be found. For example, if you have a folder with all your photos from middle school, name the folder “middle_school”. This way when you’re looking through your digital folders to find one in particular, it will be easier because they’ll all be in order. If you don’t do this and put everything in chronological order without sorting it by subject, you might have a lot of trouble finding something.
For especially important photos, consider storing copies in multiple locations. For example, a regular hard drive as well in the cloud with an online storage service.
Popular online cloud services are Google Photos, Google Drive, iCloud and Dropbox. They offer ample space for your images and additional space when friends send their photos.
With your storage allowance, you can store all the images on any internet-enabled device.
Printing
Keep in mind that this process eats up lots of paper and ink – as well as the time involved in printing, cutting, laminating, etc. Hence the reason for decluttering photos beforehand.
Photo albums
Sorting your photos into albums will make you enjoy them more. Categorize them, so that they fit into different kinds of memories, like vacations or birthdays.
This will make it easier to find a specific photo when you want to look at it. Put them into chronological order within each category so you can take out the entire set and enjoy them.
In the same vein, organizing your photo collection into beautiful scrapbooks can be a wonderful way to commemorate your history in both digital and physical form. Not only will this help keep the clutter down, but it also provides another means of sharing these memories with others who were not able to experience them for themselves.
You can also make digital photo albums using photo organizing software like Adobe Photoshop Elements, which allows you to upload your photos onto a laptop or computer. This is great for keeping large volumes of photos safe in one place.
Photo storage boxes
If you take a fair number of pictures, this is an ideal time to use different sizes and colors of photo storage boxes that are appropriate for the holiday or event that they’re tied to. This way, your photos can be stored neatly in their designated special-occasion locations until you’re ready to look at them again.
With the right supplies and a little bit of time, you can create a personalized photo storage system that will help keep everything neat and organized in the future.
The best supplies for this project are photo storage boxes. If you don’t have any on hand, consider purchasing them from a craft store or online.
Create a Pinterest board to store photos online
Pinterest boards that are specifically designated as photo albums can be used as an alternative way to organize images and memories from special events such as vacations or celebrations. Each pin contains the date and name of the event so that anyone who sees them will know exactly where they fall within your timeline.
Keep in mind, that while social media sites such as Pinterest are great for displaying your photos, don’t rely on it for a backup. There is a risk that something could change with your account or the service.
If you want to add some visual interest to your home, take a look at two creative ways to display your photos.
DIY Clipboard Picture Frame
This quick YouTube video provides a step-by-step demonstration of this creative DIY clipboard picture frame.
Photo Puzzles
Create a puzzle with your favorite pictures. Not only is this fun for you, but it’s also an excellent way to keep kids entertained during the holidays. Just print out each photo on card stock, cut them into pieces, and put them together like a jigsaw puzzle. You can either use photo corners or tape to hold the individual pieces in place. Both work equally well.
These unique ways to exhibit photographs will allow you to put your creative side out there. If you’re searching for ideas, there are many on the internet.
Recap
All in all, decluttering photos and organizing them is a crucial step in your decluttering journey. This way, you can enjoy them without having to worry about them taking up too much space. Remember to keep it simple and only store the photos that you want. This will make it easier to find a specific photo when you want to look at it, and you’ll appreciate having them more because they will be your absolute favorite ones. The ones that make you smile or laugh every time you see them.