Photo organization can be rough and with all I do with my photos it’s crucial. Every photographer comes up with their own system, and mine developed over time. Since I get asked this fairly often, I’ll start sharing more on how I have it working for me. Feel free to borrow what ideas work for you.
When downloading files, I name a folder for the date. I may not download each day and don’t worry about that. The file folder heirarchy on my external hard drive looks like this:
- Raw Files
- Year
- Month
- Date
- Month
- Year
The next step is to rename the files. In Adobe Bridge (I use PS CS3), I select all the photos and use the Batch Rename function under Tools. Here’s a screenshot of the pop up box you get (I just selected one file from 2006):
Under the Text, I add in J to denote that I took the photo. And I preserve the last 4 digits by typing in the last 4 digits in the file name from the first photo in the batch. The renamed file lets me easily find and track images as well as giving each a unique name needed to register the copyright. It’s the first and probably the most important step in keeping track of all the photos and how they’ve been used.
This morning, though, I’m working on another part of the tracking process. I used to keep this on paper in a 3 ring binder, but now want to transfer that information to The Journal software. I’ve created a category for each year and tables with four columns – one for each month, but that may not really be needed – one table would work fine, but I like to break it into smaller chunks so I can feel ‘done’ with each month.
- Folder Date (One folder for each day I download)
- Subjects (for easy searches)
- Image Used (for copyright tracking)
- Where/When/How (for copyright tracking)
Once each year is done, I’ll print it out as a hard copy (in my opinion) offers the best assurance of archiving data.
More on the software I mentioned: I’ve been using DavidRM’s The Journal software for over a year now to help me stay organized. But with all the record keeping and writing I do, version 4 slowed me down as I bumped into the size wall of 2 GB. I emailed David about the problems I saw and received a response in less than 20 minutes. After walking me through a couple of possible fixes, he had me upgrade to version 5 which got me going again as it can handle over 200 GB in the database. All I can say is WOW!
I was thrilled before to find a solution for my writing and records, but I now I absolutely adore all the additions and changes he did for Version 5. You can organize, search, and write to your heart’s content knowing it’s all contained on your computer (you can even password protect it). I know I haven’t even scratched the surface, I find myself breathing easier and relaxing knowing that now I’ve got room to get everything in one place – to print out what I want as hard copies, to act as a second brain for me. It’s this writer/photographer/organizational nut’s dream!
If you want to record memories, do research, or just keep an extensive journal, give it a try – I’ve tried other software with lots of disappointment and regrets, but this one has me flying.
Disclaimer – No, nothing free from David, just the same great service he gives to all for an awesome product!
Have a great day all!
