Photo Storage Simplified

Easy Ways to Store Pictures and Photographs

Aug 3, 2009 Prerna Malik

Due to the popularity of digital cameras, having a huge number of photographs is very common. But what does one do with them? Here are easy ideas to store photos.

Photographs are not just picture postcards. They are memories and moments that can be relived and remembered simply by going through them. However, if these memories are scattered all over or stuffed into drawers with nothing to identify and hold them together, chances are no one would even know about them. So, get started at storing these picture memories properly so that they can be preserved for generations to come.

Using Photo Storage Boxes

This is one of the easiest ways to store photos. Get your photographs out and sort them according to location, date or people in the photo. Curled up corners and wrinkled pictures can be pressed between heavy books to straighten them out. Then, just, go ahead and place the stacks in the boxes and label them neatly. Stack all photo storage boxes together so that they are easy to find and add new photos to.

Digital Photos Storage

Digital photos are often too many simply because of the ease of clicking and saving. However, if one is not careful, technical glitches and computer crashes can erase all these memories in an instant. Download a free photo organizer software such as Irfanview or Picasa and use it to organize photos into folders and sub-folders.

Another option is to use online photo storage offered on many websites, such as, Flickr or have them burned on CDs or DVDs and label appropriately. Digital photos should be backed up not just to CDs or DVDs but also to the latest media. In other words, earlier CDs were a popular option for saving data, then came DVDs and soon it would be something new, so make sure photos and pictures are saved on the latest media.

It is also, possible to have old printed photographs converted to CDs for safekeeping and storage. Use the same rules for labeling and storing them. Picture CDs or DVDs can all be stored together in special ‘photo albums’ for these media and kept at one place for easy access and storage.

Photo Albums and Scrapbooks

This traditional method of storing pictures and photographs is still popular. Spend a day or two going through all the photographs, discarding the ones that are too blurry or irrelevant and then arrange them neatly in photo albums and scrapbooks. Catalogue and sort the albums according to date, people or events. Add interesting notes and mementos from occasions wherever you can to create a picture album that would be a joy forever.

Collages and Photo Souvenirs

Another interesting way to store photos would be to create collages or photo souvenirs such as calendars, mouse pads, or t-shirts to give as gifts. For instance, use a baby’s first year pictures to make calendars and give as souvenirs to extended family members. Grandparents and godparents would, especially, love these thoughtful picture gifts. Similarly, collages can be created by putting together pictures of a particular trip, adding interesting tidbits and then, framing it.

Photographs, digital or paper, are a joy to look at. Reminiscing about a trip, reliving the heady days of a honeymoon, remembering a toddler’s first steps, all these are made clearer and more enjoyable by having pictures and photographs to look at. So, make the effort now to sort and store them properly and perfectly. For more on organizing photos, do read Photo Organizing Made Easy.

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Store Photos in Albums