Even with the advent of digital cameras, Facebook photos, and cell phone pictures Clutter Healers still often run across boxes of old photos lying around in clients’ homes, from their past or left over from relatives.
It’s our job to come up with the best way to store or display them, in a way that takes up as little room as possible while maximizing the enjoyment of the memories they hold.
While traditional methods of photo organization are great, and we often recommend a classic photo album or bin dedicated to storing them, modern technology has changed the way we think about our photos, and we have some brand new ways to keep your memories preserved!
1. Use A Good Photo Scanner
Getting your photos from the physical world to the digital one begins with a great scanner.
If you want to do it yourself, you can check out consumer reviews and purchase your own, take your collection to your local Staples or other office center, or check your local library and use theirs.
But there’s also a whole industry blooming for just this purpose, with specialized companies, apps, and tools to get the job done for you.
For example, local Angelenos can have DVD Your Memories make a special disk of your slides, photos, and even VHS tapes. Anybody can use an app like DocScan to use your cell phone as a scanner!
And if doing it all yourself seems overwhelming, you can send a box of your photos to places like Snapfish.com and they will take care of it for you, or take a page from The Minimalist’s book and have a photo scanning party with friends! Check it out here: http://www.theminimalists.com/scanning/
2. Find A Reliable Storage Site
Once you’ve scanned your photos, it’s time to think about how to keep them organized and safe. The last thing you want is to get everything digitized only to have a computer malfunction and lose your favorite photos.
To avoid that, make sure to keep copies on an external hard drive or cloud computing service. Other sites like Shutterfly and Flickr can help you keep them stored and sorted online, with the added bonus of editing tools and a sharing component.
3. Create A Lasting Souvenir
After your photos are digitized, it doesn’t have to be the end of enjoying them in your home. You can use IPhoto, Snapfish, or Adoramapix to memorialize your photos in a glossy coffee table book; or use a transfer service to make a playable DVD keepsake. PostalPix will even turn your photos into aluminium prints or iPhone cases! Modern technology has given us so many new ways to cherish our photos; so don’t let yours collect dust or fade from memory.
If you take the time to digitize and organize now, you can enjoy your memories in ways you never thought possible before, and maybe even enjoy yourself in the process.
Good luck with your trip down memory lane!