Overcome the digital photo vortex in 5 easy steps
In an age where we have incredible cameras constantly in our pockets, taking photos has never been easier. However, it can also lead to an overload of photos - a digital vortex of memories and moments. This vortex can make creating your photo book feel like a daunting task when really it should be seen as a labor of love. At MILK Books, we know you'll love the destination, let us help you find joy in the journey. Here are our 5 simple steps to getting those photos off your phone and into the pages of a photo book or album.
5 steps for organizing your photos
1. Upload and consolidate
2. Create folders
3. Scale down
4. Consider your format
5. Back up your files
1. Upload and consolidate
Arguably the most time consuming part of photo organizing is consolidating them from different devices, people and social media platforms. From smartphones to digital cameras, Facebook to Instagram, take the time to create one comprehensive photo library on your desktop computer or laptop. Perhaps friends or family members have additional photos of a moment you missed or a different angle or perspective that's a little more interesting—add those to your collection too. Investing time in collecting your images in one place means that when it comes time to create your book you’ll have the best pick of the bunch.
2. Create folders
Now that you have them all in one place, sort them into folders that suit you (they could be categorized by month, year or event) and then label them accordingly. There’s no right or wrong way to organize your images—just find a way that makes sense to you. Through creating these folders you are creating 'themes', 'chapters' or 'stories' that will eventually form the chronology of your photo book.
3. Scale down
With smartphones on hand at all times, we are all a little guilty of being snap-happy and a lot of the time we can end up with multiple photos of the same thing. Picking your favorite few from any given moment might feel tricky but it's important to avoiding a repetitious collection. During the selection process, remember that memories and emotions can override image quality. Yes, their eyes were closed but it was because they were laughing at a goofy inside joke—these shots are keepers and are more precious than any perfectly composed shot.
4. Consider your format
With MILK, your photos can take on many new forms. Be it a canvas print, a photo book or a photo album, your photos will be in a manageable and accessible library to dip into for a multitude of creative projects. When looking through your image files, start to get a sense of which photos you really want to showcase. Bringing together the story of the moment or occasion means finding the right balance of people, setting and emotion in your collection. If you're about to start a photo book, it pays to also rename each file by numbering them in the order you want them to appear in your book—it can be as simple as 1,2,3. This means when you upload them to our photo editor they will appear in that order, saving you time when it comes to organizing the layout.
5. Back up your files
As we’re dealing with precious memories, it’s best practice to back up your photo collection somewhere to avoid any unfortunate accidents. This means you’ll have your freshly organized photo library saved safely on a hard drive or on the cloud. The good news with MILK is that we never delete any photo books or albums that you create so should you ever want to reprint a project it will be waiting for you safely within your account.
