When you think about the stash of picture you have around, how does it make you feel? One of the most overwhelming projects I can think of is sorting through decades of old physical photos. Seriously, there is no face recognition software to speed it all up and sort it for us. So we have to roll up our sleeves and fight to organize and preserve those family histories we care so much about in the most efficient way possible. Do you have a tons of physical printed photos around? Maybe they are in those 80’s and 90’s sticky albums where the photos are yellowing over time or simply fall out every time you pick up the book. Maybe you have tons of photos hoarded away in boxes, bags or storage containers in the basement or attic. It could be that you recently inherited family photos that you just don’t know how to manage! No matter what kind of photo organization situation or straight up mess you find yourself, I’m here to take away the overwhelm and help you tackle those stacks step by step and show you how to organize old photos so you can get them out storage and out where you can enjoy them. Honestly, it might matter more than you think…
My Crazy Story
I’ll never forget the day my mom sat me down at the kitchen table just 6 months after my grandmother passed away. She pulled out a large photo book that she had strategically built with my grandma a few years before the Alzheimer’s came along and stole all those memories from the recesses of her mind. To my surprise, my mother pulled out an envelope and removed a Olen Mills professional photo of a baby that I had never seen before. She lay it carefully beside a picture of a baby inside the album. Beside the picture in the album was a hand written detail from my grandmother that simply said, “A baby I knew.”
I looked at my mom puzzled. She asked, “Does that look like the same baby to you?” “Yes of course- it even has the same Olen Mills stamp on the bottom but the baby is sitting in a different position! So what?” I replied. My mom took a long pause and said, “This is your aunt”. I scrunched up my face (my dad didn’t have any sisters), “What are you talking about?” My mom went on to tell me a rather long story about a woman who had been searching for my grandmother for years. That she was born in Mississippi at an unwed mothers home and put up for adoption. This scrapbook had hidden clues throughout that my grandmother had a daughter she NEVER told us about and reunited a woman with the family she never knew.
So consider how important physical photos are to your families history. Organize them, labeling them and making them important. Sit down with your parents, grandparents and get your family history before it’s too late. Keep the safe. Treasure them, for these pieces of history are easily lost in the bottoms of boxes. The names and faces of our family history are lost as the people who knew them are no longer here to tell us their story.
On the other hand, I recently stumbled upon hundreds of pictures from my childhood, tween years, teen years and college days before digital photos were a way of life. Over the years I’ve literally just dumped all these in containers and thought I was organized. However I wasn’t and I talk more about that in my post, Are You Organized or Just Hoarding Clutter.
Even though I love the idea of “scrapbooking” I’ve got a 5 year old and twin baby girls around now and I just don’t have the time to do it! But I still enjoy the idea of being able to look back and reminisce without having to go through storage boxes to do it. So I figured out several quick and easy systems for getting my photo’s in a place I can enjoy them without scrapbooking for hours! Now I’ll share how to organize printed photos with you.
1. Organize Your Old Photos by Divide and Conquer
- I think most people are looking for the best way to sort old photos and I think my system is pretty easy to do. It takes some time- but it’s easy to follow.
- Depending on the number of photos you have, this is going to be a pretty big project so if struggle with finishing what you start, you might want to read my article: How to Finish Everything You Start.
- Get Some Entertainment Going- I struggle to stick with these long term type projects without some form of entertainment going. So whether that’s music, tv shows or movies, I turn them on, grab a cup of coffee and get to work! I last much longer this way.
- Sort – This is the best way to sort old photos for me. Get yourself a few empty mailing envelopes, empty bins or just spots on the floor for sorting. Sort them into whatever system you want.
- Here are some ideas: Family, friends, year by year or holidays. It totally depends on what you think will be the easiest way to enjoy your pictures.
- Once you have decided how you want to divide the pictures, start going through them one and one and placing them into the piles you have created.
- One more container you should be sure to keep near by? A trash can…
2. Minimize Your Old Photos
- Who IS that?– Lets be honest here, there are pictures of grandma and grandpa and then there are pictures of that guy you had a crush on in 7th grade. Seriously, “what’s his face” has no real “meaning” in my life and I will never talk to him again. Therefore, I have to decide that he isn’t that big a deal and completely throw away the picture! GASP! Throw away a memory? No, if I could tell you what his name was and that he made a difference in my life, I would give him real estate in the remainder of my life, but he doesn’t. So out he goes!
- What does it mean?– Go through each picture and figure out its true meaning. Does it deserve a spot in storage? Will your child care a thing in the world about the picture, the place or the thing in it? Does it bring you happiness to look at and reminisce about? If the answer is yes, keep it. If the answer is no, throw it away! Otherwise you are storing garbage which is like the definition of “hoarder” (I’m not judging, I’ve stored plenty of 10-year-old receipts in my life).
3. Go Shopping
- Yay! The fun & easy part.
- Once you get through your organization nightmare, you can now get ready to give those pictures a home.
- I went down to my local “Ross” store since they are the cheapest and picked up some “Acid Free” or “Archival Quality” photo books.
- Why Acid Free? Family Tree.com offers some insight in their article on Why Acid Free In Scrapbooking?
- I tried to find ones in similar height and width so the fit nicely side by side on a shelf.
I did a little research and found that Amazon has a few albums with good reviews that also offer a place to write memo’s beside the pictures in case you don’t live near a craft store.
These Fabric Frame Cover Photo Album 200 Pockets Hold 4×6 Photos come in about 20 different colors, are safe and have spots for writing notes for under $13 each.
Like this Pioneer “Family” Text Design Sewn Faux Suede Cover Photo Album, Brown
($12.50)
($14.95)
- Those books with sticky pages and clear covers are the worst. Get ones that you can just slide the picture into.
- You can also get these at places like Kohls, TJ Maxx, Target, Micheal’s and Hobby Lobby. Ross and TJ Maxx are going to be the cheapest at regular price. If Kohls, Hobby Lobby, or Micheals are having a 50% off sale, you can get them at a good price too. I needed 3 and they cost anywhere from $9.99 to $12.99 each.
How to Choose an Album:
#1- I started first at looking at appearance. I wanted photo books that were aesthetically appealing so I wouldn’t be embarrassed to have them out on a shelf in a public area of my house.
#2- I looked for books that held the most pictures.
#3- I looked for books that had a few lines to the side so I could write notes about who or what was in the picture. You may hate scrapbooking, but at least this way you can leave a note about who’s in the picture for family historical evidence (although there are those cases where you wish you could erase certain historical moments of your past such as those awkward middle school pictures where you blinked just in time to make you look high).
4. Start Loading
- This is going to be a moment you wish you had an “upload” button for your pictures. But alas, we have not lived in the digital age forever!
- Go through your piles and start loading and making notes as you go.
- If you have pictures that don’t fit well or ones you can cut down and slide two together, go for it!
- Your goal is to get those memories out where you can enjoy them. Not spend hours debating whether you should chop out the random person in the background. It’s okay to cut them up!
If you get overwhelmed by the idea of putting all the pictures in albums and decide you’d like to know how to store old photos in boxes, consider a sturdy container system like this one from Amazon. IRIS Photo and Craft Keeper, Small. If you’ve ever wondered how to store old photos in boxes, this is a good idea. I have all mine in these containers until I can get to them. You can sort them and then organize them for safe keeping. These cost around $10.
5. Display Your Work
- Put your nice, attractive photo albums on a shelf or table in your family room.
- Donate your old suitcase.
- Breath in a deep breath and feel the weight of old clutter leave your body!
- You just preserved your family history! Way to go!
- Now that you’re physical photos are sorted, have you thought about trying Digital Scrapbooking?
- Or if that project has you feeling like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders, consider using my tutorial for Decluttering Mementos and Keepsakes!
There are lots of methods for organizing printed photos. I hope you found this system helpful. Take it a little at time and you’ll be on your way to properly stored, displayed and housed photos before you know it! If you have any suggestions or ways you creatively preserved your old print pictures share them in the comments section!
If you enjoyed this post consider taking my 5 Day Complete Life Management Course and Workbook. For years I struggled with being late, feeling overwhelmed with cooking and cleaning and keeping the family organized. But then I developed a system that worked and you can too! If you struggle to keep your everyday life on time, organized and feeling put together, this course can change your life forever!
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Dorothy Dillon says
I have started to do what you have recommended, but I am 71 years young and not only have all the pictures I have taken over the years on slides, photos and CD’s, but I also have my moms who was also an avid photographer. So, I am talking about literally thousands of pictures. One thing I have decided to do is to give away those pictures I took of friends and their families to them and just keep one or two for myself and my two daughters. Slides will eventually go on the computer. Nice blog.
Kim Anderson says
Dororthy thanks for taking the time to share! Good luck with your project! I know it seems really overwhelming right now but I know you’ll be so happy you did the project when it’s done!
Barbm1712 says
I did this process a few years ago with all of my daughters ‘growing up’ and grade school photographs. At least 16 years of her life photographically are now contained in these albums (I needed 5). It’s all of the other family photographs that are challenging, prior to my daughters birth with my grand and great-grands and other now deceased members of our family. They occupy a full drawer in a filing cabinet in our home office, so I must begin again with this collection of 40+ years. Ehhh! the time element alone can seem daunting to me. Then I remember what I did with 60 years of my grandparents photo collection when I helped clean out their home after my grandmother passed away. I stored them in our service porch for five years until we moved, then I had to decide if we could move household furnishings or if I was going to take pictures of my grandmother at age 17 or my grandparents annual fishing trips. In the end, I decided to keep only those that had contributed to my life. It was heartbreaking to me to dispose of photo’s that had been taken in the 30’s and 40’s and keep the relevant 60’s and 70″s and dispose of nearly all of the fishing expeditions. I felt I was ‘throwing’ my family away, but we had no available space to store my grandparents photographic and slide memorabilia. Now I wish I had kept some of the really vintage pix and digitized them. Most of my daughters photographs are now on ‘the cloud’ so that space doesn’t become an issue for her later in her life. It is a time consuming and labor intensive project. Selecting personally relevant photo’s is very important to some of us and provides a sense of history to our children. I’ve now selected 12 of my daughters ‘memorable moments’ and have had them re-processed into 8 x 10’s to create a pictorial transition from infancy to adulthood (she’s 18 now) to display on a wall in her room or in our hallway. I’ll eventually get to that file drawer, but I’m really not ready to see photo’s of myself at the gawky 14 year old stage just yet.
Robin says
Sounds like we all have been busy or about to be with our photos. All photos were saved on my computer and a backup to an external hard drive. I have recently completed the following for my dad; scanned, made digital book of fathers childhood, early years of marriage, hobbies (rodeo clown, cars, etc), scrapbooks and albums (photos that he felt were important and did not mean anything to anyone else). For Christmas I gave my husbands siblings and nieces/nephews that are on their own two CDs with family photos. I separated the photos into each siblings family,; mother (her childhood photos, her parents, her siblings, mom with kids;) father (his childhood photos, his parents, his siblings, military photos, dad with kids); mom and dad (dating, engagement, wedding, events); group photos, photos by holiday). For the group photos I created a Word document with the same name as the photo so I could include all names and information of the event. On one CD, I copied all of the mother, father, mom and dad, group photos, holiday photos and photos of two of the siblings that have passed away so everyone would have these cherished memories. On another CD, I copied all of one siblings photos with their kids included for the parents and the same for their children. We just recently lost another sibling and found loads of military photos of my husbands father and more photos of the sibling. So back to scanning! Another project I am doing is scanning in all of the handwritten recipes from my mother-in-law so all siblings, nieces and nephews will have another great memory and awesome recipes. Best of luck to everyone.
Kim Anderson says
Robin, thanks so much for all these helpful ideas! Sounds like you HAVE been really busy! Thanks for your creative inspiration!
Jessie says
Please come to my house! Ty.
Kim Anderson says
lol. Sorry. I’m still going through my own mess. lol
ELsie NIeuwoudt says
I’m the eldest of love12 children, I’m one of82, we have 6 children, 13 grandchildren and your15 great grandchildren , I have boxes of photos and really found your tips very helpful, but I don’t know how to get myself motivated to start scrapbooking, please help.
Kim Anderson says
Don’t think of it as “scrapbooking” think of it as a chance to go down memory lane! Simply grab one container, sit at the table with some coffee and sort them out. It’s a long process but it will be worth it in the end. Simple notes about the people in simple albums with lines can help your family be able to make heads or tales of family history! Think of it as a way for your to create something that preserves your family history in pictures! Hope that helps!
sarah dack says
Does anyone have a way to gget pictures off the advantix film canister. Walmart wants 13.oo each oone and I have about 50 of them.
Tricia says
Maybe just do 1 or 2 a week/month as you can afford it. It will then get done over time. Maybe speak to the store manager, see if they can make a deal. How about Walgreen’s or a professional lab.
Kim Anderson says
Thats a good idea Tricia! Thanks for sharing!
Laura says
Wow! Love the post and really enjoyed reading the comments. Glad to see so many people getting something done with their photos. Several years ago after my second child was born I learned about digital scrapbooks. As a software trainer at the time, it seemed right up my alley. So much so that I became a consultant with the company (realistically it was just a way to support my new habit!) I even got into the paper albums. The company has since folded and reimerged in different directions and I did not stay with any of it but did work on my projects a bit. A couple years into my hobby my dad started sending me old family photos that I scanned and organized a bit with some input from him. Less than a year ago he passed and I am so grateful to have those old photos. I worried how to make sure that my extended family and my young children would keep them or even find them. I have copies and back ups and back ups of the back ups, feeling overwhelmed and paranoid they will get lost. Oddly about a week ago a friend from the old scrapbook company contacted me and introduced me to the solution. Forever.com guarantees permanent cloud storage for your lifetime plus 100 years! I checked it out and signed up right away. What a relief to know that all those memories and the work put into scanning and adding stories will be protected. I was so impressed that I took the leap and signed on as an Ambassador (basically consultant) with them because I believe so much in wanting everyone to tell their stories and preserve those memories for future generations. I would of course love to help anyone get started with forever since I am an Ambassador and I would benefit from it, but whether it’s with me or someone else, or even just on your own, this cloud storage is a must for everyone with photos. I had my children very late in life and I know that they will be fairly young when I am gone. Reading the comments above, the stories, has reignited the fire I had before to preserve and tell the stories so my kids will have them. Thank you for the post! And love the blog. Just started mine in order to share the stories.
Kim Anderson says
Thanks for sharing your story Laura! There are lots of great online cloud storage options like you mentioned. I actually got pretty excited this weekend when I attended a conference and a new startup company called Bevy was there. They create this awesome purple server that you hook up in your house and it automatically backs up your pictures from all your devices and organizes them by who’s phone they came from. I thought that was pretty awesome. I use Carousel and Dropbox for my online picture storage. We also have a server in our house that we back up with an external hard drive and then take the external hard drive to my sister’s house every six months just in case.
Michelle says
One thing to keep in mind with any of these cloud services is if you read the TOS, you will find that they reserve the right to close up shop without warning. Would they? Who knows. Not likely. But they could. which is why the commenter mentions the company offering a lifetime + guarantee. That’s quite a bold statement for a company to make, but it’s worked for Craftsman. (Think about it – a lifetime guarantee means nothing if the company goes out of business.) but at least their guarantee is much more solid than that of iCloud, Dropbox, etc. I am certainly intrigued by the company mentioned and will look into it myself. But just consider the above info before relying on any cloud service. I think I’d still keep a backup of my own for the really special photos – or disperse copies to family members who want them so there’s more than one floating around. I have one (adult) child who is really into home videos and pictures and stuff. (When she was younger she would sit for hours watching old home videos!) but my other three don’t really care much about any of that. (Personally, I don’t really, either…but I understand most people do lol).
Kim Anderson says
This is good information Michelle. It’s hard to decide but I guess at the end of the day you never want to put all your eggs in one basket.
Denise says
You obviously gained the trust of your mother in law to receive that bundle of precious memories. Thanks for the inspiration to work on my own project.
Kim Anderson says
Denise, so glad your getting started on your own rewarding project. Come back and let me know how it goes!
Cassandra says
Thank you for this article, i actually stumbled across your site from Pinterest! My grandfather recently passed away and as a result I’ve been looking for pictures from when he was a kid and from his parents. Unfortunately all my Aunts and Uncles recall my grandpa saying he threw everything away because “no one wants these”!!! He couldn’t have been more wrong! I was able to collect images from extended family and just finished getting them scanned and put on discs and distributed at a recent family reunion. Now I’m really working hard on going through all of them to identify who’s who and rough time frame! I have a few boxes from my mom so I’m in this same boat of trying to organize! I’m so glad to hear there are others out there that are trying to preserve family memories!
Kim Anderson says
Thanks Cassandra! So happy that you found the post helpful! Good luck as you organize and I really hope you are able to find some family members who can give you insight into who’s who for some family history preservation! Your family will appreciate it.
GRACE says
Hi Cassandra, Your comment regarding organizing old photographs made me feel so connected to you. I started scrapbooking when I realized that time was fleeting and I wanted my sons to have a tangible and photographic history of their ancestry. That’s how it started. Then my sons married (wedding pictures) and then came my beloved grandchildren (five more little people and their parties, antics and talents to scrapbook) and my original purpose was diverted. Then came a blow from which I doubt I’ll ever recover – my husband of 46 years passed away. And so my diversion turned toward a Tribute Album in his honor, which has now morphed into a sort of pictorial biography – pictures of the hospital in which he was born, his parents, siblings, his baptism, school, Naval service, occupation, our dating, engagement, wedding, etc. etc. etc. I must admit that I am feeling overwhelmed and anxious about fulfilling all these projects, yet, at the same time, I am content to realize I shall never feel bored or at a loss for something to do. Scrapbooking is a wonderful craft – looking at the faces of those you love and leaving a legacy as well. I can imagine how all that organization you are doing is quite a task, but you seem to have found the secret to getting it done. Your generosity of spirit is commendable. Kim seems to be a wonderful lady as well – helping all of us who value family, friends and traditions. I wish you luck, Cassandra. God Bless.
Kim Anderson says
Grace, thank you so much for taking time to share your own story and connecting with other readers. I really hope you are able to find joy in the memories and build something for generations of your family to enjoy!
Stephanie says
I’ve found that taking old photos to family reunions, holidays, birthdays & funerals, etc. are great opportunities to find out who’s in each picture. You can record info about where & when it was taken. If you don’t wish to keep it, it’s often a lost treasure to their families! The same is true for classmates & childhood friends. You can get lots of info from friends on your alma mater’s Facebook page.
Kim Anderson says
Stephanie, that alma mater’s Facebook page idea is really good. Thanks for taking the time to share with us!
Libby Seidel says
I have been scrapbooking all our memories for over 21 years. I have kept current until about two years ago. I started scrapbooking wedding and baby albums for family members that asked me to as gifts. I am not sure the know how many hours of love each album has in it. When my Mom passed away in 2014 my siblings and I had the hard task of going through her stuff. The scrapbooks I made for her of her 75th surprise birthday party, the Alaska Cruise we took her on, and the scrapbook I made her with all six of us kids growing up that included our wedding pictures, and children that were born at the time, santa pictures etc. Those were the items everyone fought over. I finally said I would copy each album for everyone (they are 12×12 pages).I plan to give my two brothers and two sisters copies of each album for Christmas this year. Now I have the task of going through at least 12 big plastic tubs of pictures past down from my Grandparents, Aunts, and my Mother. I am making piles for my cousins and siblins of pictures that are important parts of their family. Any picture I can not identify goes. My siblings and I went through two small shoe boxes on Mothers Day last May. It was a fun way to celebrate our Mom. We laughed, we cried, but it was fun. We all took the pictures we wanted, and made piles for our cousins. I will tackle some of the old pictures next winter. I have found when I have a lot of pictures from one event (like my wedding that I had over 1500 pictures) I take them and sort them into small groupings. Then I tackle a small group at time. It doesn’t seem like such an impossible task then. For my wedding I did groupings like Engagement pictures, shower pictures, before wedding, wedding, reception, honeymoon etc. They took four 12×12 albums. I didn’t scrapbook duplicates. We had duplicates made of the reception pictures and e gave one copy to whoever was in the picture. We sent it with a note thanking them for celebrating with us. A lot of work? Yes, but we received a lot of calls and notes thanking us for the pictures. I have found there is no right or wrong way to organize your pictures. I choose to do mine by year, but I have friends that do a scrapbook by kid, or sport, holiday etc. The only important thing is to preserve your memories. Nothing is better than hearing kids who are looking through old pictures of themselves laughing and talking about the trip, event or whatever. Memories are precious.
Kim Anderson says
Thanks for sharing your projects as well as your organization system with us Libby! That is super sweet of you to spend all that time working through those pictures and giving them to people who will value them the most!
Nirupama says
Simple, yet the most beautiful tips!
Thank you. I am gonna share some pictures of my project with you, once done.
Thank you!
Kim Anderson says
Great! Glad you found the post helpful!
S S says
First, avoid the cheapest album that says acid free and photo safe-archival. Any company can say that. What you really need to make it photo safe are products that are acid free, lignen free and pages that are buffered. The lignen free allows the pages to not yellow over time and the buffered does not allow anything(like memorabilia) to come thru the page. Make sure the pen you use is also bleed resistant, waterproof, and lightfast. Companies that follow ISO standards will have products that last. Your photos are the most meaningful thing you have to pass on-take care of them. Store your albums upright in a darkened room.
Second, before you pitch photos-Look at them to see if there is anything historical in them. While they may not mean anything to you-your area historical society might like them.(esp. from your parents and grandparents era.
Third-Do label each photo and try to be clear and concise. No one will know what your abbreviations will mean in 50 years.
Fourth, for those photos that you might display. Make sure you copy the original and put the copy on the wall in order to preserve the original.
Finally, when scanning and saving these things on digital, make sure they are scanned at 600 dpi in case you ever want to make a different size photo(high resolution is vital.) Also, technology is ever-changing so you will need to copy these every 5-10 years on a new format.
Photo organizaton, while daunting, is one of the most important things you can do and hand down. Enjoy the photos, share the photos, and explain them to your future family!
Kim Anderson says
Thanks so much for sharing all these great tips. I really appreciate your time and input.
Diane says
I have found the quickest , most affordable and easiest format to be 12″ x12″ scrapbooks. I use off-white card stock and layout photos of every size and shape, write notes using archival quality pens in the margins and adhere with a variety of products. I find I need self-adhesive photo corners for Polaroid shots and use reposition able glue for ones that someone may want copies of someday. These albums fit in perfectly with my more precious scrapbooks.
Kim Anderson says
Diane, those are great ideas for someone who wants to put together a quick book with all their pictures no matter the sizes. Thanks for sharing your valuable tips with us!
Deanna Groke says
Maybe somebody already posted it, and I missed this info. But the most important thing you can do, (with a photo safe pen) is identify the who what and when in your pictures. And start with the most up-to-date pictures, and work backwords. Good luck!
Kim Anderson says
That’s a great idea, thanks Deanna!
Jan Crozier says
The importance of the first step is so significant. Preserving our memories and allowing them appropriate places in our current outlook on life is priceless.
Kim Anderson says
Jan, what a lovely way to say that! Thanks for reading and leaving a comment for us!
Tina Miller says
This is great! I was going to write on for my blog when I begin sorting my family’s photos but this is so well written I was wondering if you would allow me to share a photo and a link back to yours in my post about journey instead.
Please let me know. Thanks!
Diana C says
Scanning is the best way to preserve photos. Digital photos can also be shared easily (If you have a few siblings and older relatives, I bet you have photos they don’t (but want) and they have some that you and the others don’t have (but want). Your options:
1) Buy a scanner and cropping software. Pros: High resolution scans. Cons: It’ll be slow going
2) Use a scanning service. Pro: Good quality. Cons: Expensive, and risk of loss or damage
3) If you have an iPhone or iPad, get Pic Scanner app (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pic-scanner-scan-photos-fast/id644278663?mt=8&uo=4). Pros: Fast, easy, costs only $2.99. Cons: Quality will be great for viewing on your iDevice but not for making large reprints
Go for whichever of these options suits you, but do scan. You can also use scanned old photos for family themed crafts (Plenty of ideas on Pinterest), making gifts or home decorations
Kim Anderson says
Thanks for sharing all this great info Diana!
Sharon says
I’m looking for the best quality way to make pictures reproducible for other family members without having to make a CD at walmart. My daughter said something about a affordable small stick but that it would be able to be deleted which makes it something that I would possibility have to reproduce for someone again but if that the best option the so be it. I guess they can be responsible for putting the stick thing onto a CD or whatever. If you know of a better way or a website let me know I just started trying to research this as I’m finally getting ready to do this.
Kim Anderson says
Sharon, are these physical or digital photos?
Sarah says
I have been going through old photos that were handed to me when my dad died and my mom got sick. Most of these photos are my childhood and a handful of “life before me” photos. I did something similar to your method with the “life before me” photos. When I added these donated photos to the ones I already had I have a mass collection. I first started by trying to determine the year that the photos were taken, if I couldn’t determine that, the photo went in one of three 12×12 plastic boxes. These are labeled #1 “childhood before KS” (we moved to KS when I was 12, was a good dividing point because we moved a lot before that and KS was the final move), #2 “after KS move, before kids” and #3 “after kids”. I sorted what I could by year and filed in any box that would hold them. I’m in the process of taking one year at a time along with the time coordinated box, my steps are as follows. I first go through the box to see if there might be any photos that go into that year, using photos the photos for clues. I then decided what photos were important to keep, tossed the rest. Decided if the photo even pertained to my life or not, if it was of my sisters I gave it to them. With what was left I then started scanning and saving on a 32GB zip drive and then put the print in an album. It’s a huge task but I feel very good about getting them out of the boxes and where I can see them and my kids also look through them and see what life was like before them!
Kim Anderson says
Thanks for sharing all these tips Sarah!
Annie says
Oh my, this should be interesting! I am the worst for procrastinating! All my photos were in shoe boxes, in my basement. And although I liked to go look at them, I never bothered to put them in books. And then last year, I lost most of them to the Southern Alberta flooding. My boyfriend and I worked hard for a week to try and salvage and dry out what we could. They are back in a box again (what I have left) and just sitting in my office. Time to get at it, and then put the books on my shelf, above flood level! Thanks for the article!
Kim Anderson says
Annie, I hope you can get all those organized! Water damage is the worst! Thanks for sharing!
Mary says
I have been going through photos passed to me from my Mom. They go back to the early 1900’s at least. My mom even kept a picture that she wrote “don’t know who is in the photo”!!! Why keep it??? I’m the last of the family besides my kids. I have thrown out garbage bags and more bags full of photos. I still have 4 full photo boxes and large ones in a file box and suitcase. Started dividing by the person thinking I’ll keep a few best in show and that’s it and put them in an album. Hard with group photos though. Thanks for the tips. I do think ill scan some too.
Mitzi says
I feel your pain. I too have very old photos. Fortunately my mom was pretty good about writing facts about the photos.
Kim Anderson says
It would be so interesting to explore all that family history!
Katie Jones says
I am loving the Project Life system for recording the details that go with the photos I have. I can slot the pictures into the pages as easily as into a photo album, and have space for the associated names or memories with them on the cards that go next to the photos. If there are no more details to add, just use a decorative card! So easy, and it works for old pics as well as new ones.
Tina H says
Thank you for this. I have, and am still, struggling with this. I have packets & packets of photos of my little girl (many with her brother). Unfortunately (I’m British, we understate emotion!) she died aged 7. Most of the photos bring a smile to my face so they’re keepers. I made a massive decision to throw away all the ones where she looks ill, was having chemo etc as they break my heart. I haven’t done this yet, but have made a decision so that’s progress! ‘Have to be in the mood” is a definate understatement! I like the suggestion of digitising & publishing a book and may go down that route.
Kim Anderson says
Tina, I cannot imagine having to do that. My heart really breaks for you. When I wrote this post I was simply thinking of going through my own memories where most of the people I know are still alive and if they aren’t they lived a very long life before the died. Wow! Thank you for taking the time to share something like that with us because I’m sure it’s not easy. What a tough job you have ahead. Your right, “have to be in the mood” is a totally understatement. You have to really prepare your heart and mind to do a job like that because it’s not just about decluttering old photo’s. It’s about removing true life experiences that cause real pain. I wish you peace when you begin that journey. And I agree that the digitized photo book of pictures you love would be a sweet way to preserve some of your favorite memories of her. Please let us know when you have finished and maybe some things you did as I’m sure that there are other mothers out there who desire to do what you are doing but just don’t know how to begin.
Cyndee says
Tina, I’ve been in your shoes. You don’t have to be “in the mood,” you just “have to be ready.” It will come..it may take years, but that’s ok. Give it time. You’ll be ok with it when you are ready.
Terry says
I collected pictures after my Father passed away of him with family/friends. I had copies made and put together a photo album. I gave it to my siblings and son. Each person said it was one of most special gifts they ever received and they each have the album displayed.
It was difficult, but so meaningful. I had a fantastic friend helped me put the albums together. I was fortunate to have her help me. It created a special memory for us. Perhaps this would be something to consider doing.
Kim Anderson says
Terry, thanks for sharing your great idea with us! That is a really sweet and special project that I’m sure was a true labor of love.
Gayle Jones says
Thank you so much for posting this. Ok. I’m going in.
I have all of my old photos (I’m 50). As the only girl, I ended up being the keeper of my late mom’s pictures (she was 70), who had a large chunk of her late mother’s pictures.
So I am starting….pray for me.
Kim Anderson says
You’ll need it! Thanks so much for commenting and I’m glad it seems to have helped. Take it slow and don’t get too overwhelmed. Take breaks and most importantly have fun remembering the good times.
Laurie says
I recently read–but don’t recall the source– that, unlike common thought, digital photos are not permanent and that the length of time that they will ‘survive’ depends upon the method, device, etc., e.g., CD, thumb drive, some lasting only a few years, others up to 10 years.
Kim Anderson says
That’s kind of crazy to think about! I like the idea of doing a digital scrapbook and having it printed, then your digital memories are professionally produced and can sit on your countertops for years to come. It’s really common now so it’s just as cheap as doing a printed picture scrapbook. Here’s my post on Digital Scrapbooking if your interested. https://thriftylittlemom.com/2013/07/03/digital-scrapbooking-a-uncluttered-way-to-craft/
Judith says
Not sure I agree with this I downloaded and made DVD’s with ancestry
pics almost 20 years ago and all my children say their copies are all great
and they look at them yearly if not more. Since my friend lost all her pictures in a fire I made sure copies were made and given to family or stored in safe deposit box. Genealogy is important to this family. This can include ancestors or children, grandchildren etc. I’ve even made videos and voice recordings showing their great personalities that my grandchildren love.
Kim Anderson says
Thanks for sharing what you did and how it worked. It’s great to hear from people who have preserved pictures that are still holding on.
Kattrinka says
Kim you forgot the FIRST step you should take in organizing photos. I spent an entire winter going thru very old (1900) to very new family pics. Start with the time period. I made piles of the year, then went thru each and tried to get them in chronological order. How old does someone look? That’s your year. What holiday are we celebrating? What season’s clothes are we wearing? etc….
Kim Anderson says
Thanks Kattrinka those are great tips! It’s a lot of work and it’s amazing that you had those extremely old photos to go through. What an interesting project that must have been for you.
Mark Parmenter says
BEFORE you put these in albums you really should get them digitized. Specifically KodaColor prints from the 50’s and 60’s. These prints and their negatives are fading fast and the prints will most likely be faded to nothing in the next 10 to 15 years. Right now deep scans will retain most all of the information that is there to get and when they fade all you will need to do is print a new one if you have the picture digitized. Black and white pictures are not affected like color pictures are.
Kim Anderson says
Thanks for the tip!
Daree says
Any suggestions for digitizing services that you like?
Laurie says
Thank you so much for sharing this GREAT idea! I started over two years ago trying to “organize” my old photos. I actually did what you suggested in step one. So they are all in the 6×9 envelopes patiently waiting for me, in our hope chest, to find them a permanent home. I just couldn’t find any other ideas outside of Scrapbooking (no thank you). This is the perfect solution and now I think I can make some time to finish this way overdue project 🙂
Kim Anderson says
Laurie! Way to go for getting through the hardest part of sorting! Now you just have to get a good movie going and sit down with your books and envelopes and go after it! Good luck with your project and would love to know how it goes! Thanks for taking time to share your story!
Cindy says
Thanks for a no frills article. I have boxes of old photos going back to the early 1900s from the grandparents and the parents, as well as tons of my own. You’ve given me the “push: I’ve needed to toss some of more obscure photos. Thanks.
Kim Anderson says
Cindy! Thanks for taking time to comment. My mother in law recently handed me 3 packed envelopes of pictures of their family including my hubby from birth to high school graduation! Now I’ve got all new memories to evaluate and figure out what I need to save!