Snapping a photo is easier than ever thanks to smartphones at our fingertips.
Get tough on people-free scenic photos and repetitive party pics.
“Fight the instinct that says every photo is precious,” says consumer technology analyst Kristy Holch.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
“In reality, bad photos are just clutter that makes it harder to find the good ones.”
Some smartphones will do some of this work for you.
Inside the month folders, create themed subfolders like Mexico vacation or pizza party.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
grab the photos that need color-correcting or red-eye fixes and add them to a “To Edit” folder.
Once they’ve been altered to your liking, move them to the finished folder.
Some digital photo storage services are free while others cost a monthly or annual fee.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Prices also vary depending on how much storage space you need for your photos.
Be sure to back up your images after you’ve edited and sorted them to conserve storage space.
Here’s what you gotta know about each.
Credit: Cameron Sadeghpour
External Drive
It might sound intimidating, but an external hard drive is quite easy to use.
Amazon Photo, Dropbox, Shutterfly, and Google Photos are just a few of your options.
Instead, use an online service or a store kiosk.
Nelson suggests trying a few stores to see which one churns out the best prints.
And don’t discount the small, independent shops.
This will make it easy to organize your photos over the years.
Then, go over photos as you first receive them.
Don’t keep bad exposures, blurry shots, or bloopers you won’t look at again.
Throw away or recycle any photos you’d rather not remember.
Transfer prints from the photo-center packets to less bulky, acid-free envelopes.
Then separate the envelopes into specific categories for storage.
Use tabbed dividers to further organize the photo into subcategories.
Consider labeling the dividers by year or family member.
Albums or binders with acid-free plastic sleeves are great systems for organizing your photos.
Identify categories of shots by leaving a blank pocket in front of each new set of photos.
A chest also makes a handy storage unit.
Pay Attention to Sunlight and Temperature
Temperature, humidity, and light affect photos.
Or use blinds and draperies to control the light.
Avoid storing photos in basements or attics, where temperatures and humidity fluctuate.
For additional protection, wear clean white cotton gloves.
Use only specially made acid-free glue sticks, markers, and corners on your photos.
Always frame photos using acid-free matting materials.
