The past few weeks I have been working on establishing an efficient filing system for the photos on my computer. Talk about a huge task and an extremely draining process.
It all began in the year 2000 when Danny bought me my first point-n-shoot digital camera. It was the beginning of my first digital filing system and over the years, new systems were created, dumped and created again. I did realized through the process my real problem began in 2005 after Brynn was born and receiving my first Digital SLR camera. No longer fighting the shutter delay, with a point-n-shoot camera I was able to capture every moment as it happened. And from the looks of the mad chaos on my computer, I did. I managed to capture well over 50,000 photos and saved them all too multiple external hard drives.
Over the years, I have adapted different filing systems and uses of computer programs to locate my digital files, but have never been 100% happy with my methods. Well, I think I am finally there and guess what? It is back to basics. I decided to go back to the very first method I used, before all the fancy computer programs and tagging systems.
It looks like this:
Folder for the year: 2010
Inside that folder, a folder for each month: October
Inside that folder, a folder for each event with the date: 10.31.10_Halloween
*Pictures that do not relate to a specific event will stay inside the monthly folder with the date taken and short description. 10.31.10_Braden in car.
Simple.
I am not completely finished with this process, but I am excited to get it accomplished. I think the most important thing I have learned while tackling this mess is I need to learn to hit the DELETE button once in awhile. We do not need 100 pictures of the local pumpkin patch where we the spent the afternoon one fall day each year, I am sure 20 or so will do. ;o)
It all began in the year 2000 when Danny bought me my first point-n-shoot digital camera. It was the beginning of my first digital filing system and over the years, new systems were created, dumped and created again. I did realized through the process my real problem began in 2005 after Brynn was born and receiving my first Digital SLR camera. No longer fighting the shutter delay, with a point-n-shoot camera I was able to capture every moment as it happened. And from the looks of the mad chaos on my computer, I did. I managed to capture well over 50,000 photos and saved them all too multiple external hard drives.
Over the years, I have adapted different filing systems and uses of computer programs to locate my digital files, but have never been 100% happy with my methods. Well, I think I am finally there and guess what? It is back to basics. I decided to go back to the very first method I used, before all the fancy computer programs and tagging systems.
It looks like this:
Folder for the year: 2010
Inside that folder, a folder for each month: October
Inside that folder, a folder for each event with the date: 10.31.10_Halloween
*Pictures that do not relate to a specific event will stay inside the monthly folder with the date taken and short description. 10.31.10_Braden in car.
Simple.
I am not completely finished with this process, but I am excited to get it accomplished. I think the most important thing I have learned while tackling this mess is I need to learn to hit the DELETE button once in awhile. We do not need 100 pictures of the local pumpkin patch where we the spent the afternoon one fall day each year, I am sure 20 or so will do. ;o)
3 comments:
Amazingly, that's kind of what I settled on too. We tried all kinds of different stuff and it was just too confusing. So beginning this year, I created a 2010 folder with a folder for each month within that folder. It has worked beautifully. As long as I can remember what year something happened, I should be good (though there is no guarantee I will remember the year).
I know what you mean. Not being able to remember when things happened is why I have gone through so many different methods.
I have a few ideas for how I am going to Archive everything which I am hoping will keep me straight when I am looking for certain photos. I'll pass it on to you when I get there.
That's only system I have ever used. I figure if it works, why change it. It makes my head hurt just thinking about trying to switch them over to some other system...and I don't have NEARLY as many pictures as you do. Filing this way also makes it easier for me to gather up pictures for our end of the year movie Eric puts together.
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