Have you ever tried to organize your photos and found yourself wondering what were you thinking?! If so read on, this blog post is for you (and you are in good company)…
When the work of organizing your photos seems hard, confusing, frustrating and just overall impossible, as with any such lofty goal, it helps to think about the VALUE or the WHY for doing it in the first place. If there is not a strong enough value, then why even do it? That’s a normal and sensible question and we are going to go over five top photo value statements that you can draw upon when you get stuck trying to organize your photos.
But first to understand the value in organizing our photos, let’s go over what people tell me are the top motivators that compel them to whip out their handy cameras and take snapshots at any given moment in time:
Top reasons people take photos:
- To remember grand events and reminisce later
- To freeze small moments in time
- To celebrate and share life experiences with others
- To preserve family history for future generations, like a time capsule
- To enjoy the artistic qualities afforded through photography
- To express themselves visually
- To explore their world, one frame at a time
- To find peace, joy and gratitude in the moment
- To communicate
- To create gifts and books
- To collect stories
- To keep visual diaries
- To market or showcase
- To sell or profit
- To reference later
- To learn and study
- To feel good about oneself
- To compare, process and make decisions
- To laugh
- To provide living proof of something
- To re-live or go back in time to see loved ones long passed
And the list can go on and on – feel free to add your own reasons for taking photos.
If you stop and think about this vast list, it’s quite remarkable that we derive so many practical benefits from taking photos. It’s no wonder we love our photos! But here’s the thing, do you see “To organize” on that list? Nope! Not there. Turns out not a single person in the past 8 years of doing this has ever told me the reason they take photos is so that they can organize them; or to have their photos organized for them for that matter. It’s kind of like the cute little puppy in the window. We see the cute puppy and usually forget about all the hard work that goes into having a cute puppy, like the obedience training, potty training, exercise walks, vet bills, food, etc. But the reality is that just like we need to take care of the puppy to enjoy her/him, we need to take care of our photos to enjoy the benefits on that list. In other words, without our photos being organized (to whatever degree) the reasons we have for taking our snapshots are not ever realized. Furthermore, just like a neglected puppy, what we see instead are the negative effects of not organizing our photos and these can be powerfully debilitating.
Top results of not organizing our photos:
- We are unable to realize our reasons for taking the photos in the first place
- We take fewer photos
- We worry about our photos getting lost
- We waste time looking for photos
- We can’t find the photos we want
- We feel frustrated with ourselves and the photo mess
- We lose money
- We feel upset and guilt over lost stories
And this list can also go on and on.
We are left facing two realities: there are amazing reasons we take photos, and there are not amazing results when they are disorganized. So we come back to the thing standing in the middle between those two realities: photo organization.
Since having our photos disorganized is not going to help us have what we love about taking photos, we need to tackle photo organization head on. Yes, even though it can be hard and you’re not even sure what you’re doing, it is necessary.
It’s time to look at some of the main photo value statements that we can grab onto when we get stuck organizing our photos so we can push through it all and succeed.
Five Photo Value Statements
PHOTO VALUE STATEMENT #1
My family is worthy of having our photos organized.
Leaving our loved ones with photos that are organized is truly a gift. You are saving an important piece of family history, which studies show increase resiliency in children and help knit together where we come from. Practically speaking, you are also saving them time and the burden of having to decide what to do with the photos or where to find them if they only exist digitally. This is real stuff.
PHOTO VALUE STATEMENT #2
I am worthy of having my photos organized.
You see, getting our photos organized is not only good for tomorrow, it’s also good for today! The thing I hear the most when clients first come to me is that they are afraid of losing their photos. When your photos are organized, that fear goes away. You know exactly where your photos are and you have backups and a plan for when disaster hits. This means less stress and less worry so you can focus on what really matters to you at any given time.
PHOTO VALUE STATEMENT #3
The big picture is mine when I have my photos organized.
The control you have over your photos when they are organized will flat out help you in every aspect related to having photos, because there’s a system.
Here are just a few of the biggies: (A) the photo mess will not continue to get worst! (B) you will not run after the newest photo gadget or technology out there, (C) you will not be afraid to take new photos, (D) you can be intentional in your photo taking because for example, you will notice patterns or gaps in your memory keeping so you can make adjustments, such as making sure your 3rd child has representative photos before it’s too late.
PHOTO VALUE STATEMENT #4
My options open up with my photos organized.
It’s amazing the freedom you have at your fingertips when you know where your photos are and how to find them. That’s when the hassle free fun starts. You can be as creative as you want or don’t want. For example you can build photobooks, slideshows, digital frames, personal photo websites, wall art and photo gifts. And the best part is that you can be using the very best photo quality selection in your collection. Now granted, that’s not for everyone, but you get to CHOOSE, and that’s a beautiful thing, because by your photos being organized, you can always be ready either way. The important thing is that your memories are there, waiting for you and your loved ones to enjoy, on command.
PHOTO VALUE STATEMENT #5
I CAN get my photos organized, one way or another.
Good news! If you want to get your photos organized, there are different ways you can get there, so you can definitely get it done! Here are a few considerations: (A) there are different levels or degrees of photo organization so you can start with a lower level to get basic control first and then gradually add higher levels of organization if and when you need it, (B) you can focus on your current photos going forward for now and leave the backlog for later, (C) you can get help and support from friends and do it together, (D) you can do it in steady little pieces over time – as someone once said “no hurry, no pause” (E) and thanks to the internet, you can look up trainings and videos on best practices and you can even hire a professional to do all the work for you. This last option can be pricey and is not for everyone. But it’s good to know that again no matter what, you CAN get your photos organized, one way or another!
Conclusion
I invite you to pick at least one of these value statements and adopt it as your own. Chew on it and internalize it so that the next time you get stuck with the blues when it comes to organizing your photos, you can remember it and allow it to spur you forward to the victory line! You know that organizing your photos is a decisively WORTHY cause, because:
- YOUR FAMILY IS WORTHY OF HAVING YOUR PHOTOS ORGANIZED.
- YOU ARE WORTHY OF HAVING YOUR PHOTOS ORGANIZED.
- THE BIG PICTURE IS YOURS WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR PHOTOS ORGANIZED.
- YOUR OPTIONS OPEN UP WITH YOUR PHOTOS ORGANIZED.
- YOU CAN GET YOUR PHOTOS ORGANIZED, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
You’ve got this, photo loving friend!
Bringing Happiness to Your Digital Photo-Life!
Sylvia Cuillo is a Certified Photo Organizer who does the hard work for you! She is a long time memory keeper and understands how important it is to share our love for others by preserving our photos and stories. She has a passion for helping people get organized so that they can have fun with their photos and enjoy peace of mind. Time and technology are the two biggest reasons people don’t get their digital images organized. Sylvia removes those barriers by organizing your photo memories, right on your computer, with you or for you! It doesn’t matter where in the world you live, as long as you have Internet connectivity, we can help!
Email: sylvia@photosorganized.com
Phone: 813-642-6745