How to Organize Photos: Avoiding Project Burnout
February 17, 2008
Here are some tips to keep your photo organizing project from fizzling out before you finish.
1. Set realistic goals.
If you place the bar too high, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Pick realistic goals. Remember the baby steps. I’ve talked about this in more detail before. Here’s a link to that article.
2. Make photo organizing as fun as possible.
This technique not only works, it makes the whole project more fun. I call that a win-win situation. One of the simplest ways to increase the fun factor is to play your favorite music. Even better if the music goes with the photos you’re working on.
Another win-win is to invite someone to join you. Make it a regular date and you’ve added an extra layer of “get it done.” Just think of it as a quilting bee for photos. You know, like a photo bee! ::grin::
Miriam Midkiff’s awesome Scanfest uses this same idea to help folks complete large scanning projects. This completely free event happens once a month. Follow this link to learn more about Scanfest.
3. Hire a photo coach.
I don’t talk about this often, but you can hire The Practical Archivist for coaching via phone or email. If you live within driving distance of Madison, Wisconsin, we can arrange one-on-one help in the comfort of your own home. Email me if you’d like to set something up: sally -at- jacobsarchival -dot- com.
But, really…as long as you’ve got a solid preservation plan for your family photos, any personal organizer or coach can help you stay on track. Just don’t rely on a “clutter buster” for safe photo storage boxes, OK?
4. Use tech tools as your personal trainer.
If all you need is a regular reminder to stay on track, there are plenty of free tools to choose from. Here are three to get you started:
Future Me – write yourself a letter to be delivered at a later date.
GottaKeepUp.com – Get reminders at work, home, or on the go.
rminder.com – Enter your reminder and receive a voice or text message to your phone to remind you. You can sync these reminders with iCal, Google Calendar, Yahoo Calendar and more.
But be careful! Technology can just as easily enable bad procrastination habits, as I warned you earlier.
Keep at it.
You can do this!
“Baby steps, baby steps, baby steps.”
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Keep the Littlest Ones Away from the Family Archives…
February 16, 2008
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I love this hilarious video of a wee one and the simple joy of tearing paper. It reminds me of the days when my kids were tiny and the wrapping paper was more interesting than the gift. Awww.
But it’s also an easy-to-remember lesson about why the smallest members of the family shouldn’t be allowed near irreplaceable family treasures.
Paper Vs. Plastic: Which One Is Better?
February 8, 2008
If you’re tackling a family photo project, you’ll need to think about what kind of storage supplies will work best for you.
Basically, you have two choices when choosing an album or photo storage box:
1. Paper.
2. Plastic.
The good news is you can find high quality archival storage products made out of either material.
But the bad news is there are plenty of junky materials out there.
A cheap photo storage box can cause more damage than it prevents.
Whether you choose paper or plastic, the safest supplies are the ones that have passed an independent test called the Photographic Activity Test. Click through to learn more about the test and why the term “archival” is meaningless when applied to consumer products.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both plastic and paper.
Plastic is good at protecting your treasures from fingerprints and spills.
Photo and documents that get handled all the time will be well served by putting them clear enclosures such as polypropelene and polyethelene. You (or third cousin who refuses to wear gloves) can see the images without touching them. Encapsulation is a good choice for fragile or torn paper that you can’t afford to have repaired by a conservator.
But for storage, I prefer paper. Here’s why:
Paper breathes.
Here in America we tend to put a lot of faith in the protective power of plastic. One visit to a grocery store here in the States will illustrate that fact very clearly. Everything from candy to beef to tomatoes is sold shrink-wrapped in plastic. I’ve traveled enough to know that this isn’t the case in the rest of the world.
When it comes to archival storage, the fact that plastic doesn’t breathe can actually cause more problems than it prevents.
Now, don’t get me wrong — plastic is great for keeping bad things out like moisture and fingerprints.
But…
Photographs, film and tape are all made from materials that change over time. When these materials change, they can leach chemicals or give off gases that will loop back and inflict self damage if they are “sealed in their own juices” as my preservation instructor used to say.
Here’s a striking visual example of what I’m talking about.
If this tape had been stored in plastic instead of cardboard, the acids and offgassing that burned brown stains into the box would have stayed inside and attacked the tape instead.
Photo of paper bags by tanakawho, some rights reserved.
Photo of tape case by Richard Hess.
*Note! That Richard Hess link will take you to his post that explains in more detail what’s going on in the photo, and why he thinks tape has escaped the vinegar syndrome that has plagued film.
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