How do you handle your photos?

[LisaD]

The blessing of a digital camera: I can take many photos & not worry about the cost. The bane of a digital camera: I have TOO many photos. So how do you handle your photos:
Do you complete all edits as soon as you download?
Where do you save the edited copy? Do you keep the original of that photo? This is assuming the photo was basic edit without much cropping.
Thanks so much.

[readstoomuch]

I agree that a digi camera is a blessing and a curse!

I love that I can take a photo just on a whim and not worry about the cost of processing ... and that I can take 20 shots and will have one really nice one! But, I am terrible about deciding on what to delete unless they are horrid.

I do keep the original of a photo that I edit . . . I know that someday the processes for editing will change and I may wish that I had originals of my favorites. I wish that I could say that I do complete all edits as soon as I download . . . I don't come close to doing that!

I will check back to see what others have to say! Interesting topic ... and one that many of us struggle with I am sure.

[DonnaNJ]

Well I'll also be interested in seeing everyone's answers. My procedure varies depending on the importance of the pics.

Big events like weddings, First Communions, etc. I make a folder with the date and name of the event and then a subfolder called originals. I copy everything into originals then run thru them real quick and delete the bad ones. Then I rename the photos to match the folder. Then I copy the originals into what I consider the editing folder which is the first one I created and edit away. So it winds up looking like:

2009
2009-08-12 Mary & Sam's Wedding
Originals
2008-08-12 Mary & Sam's Wedding (100)
2008-08-12 Mary & Sam's Wedding (101)...

Everyday pics I just copy to a folder with the name and date and go thru and edit them. When I save them I name them for what I did to them. So it winds up:

2009
2009-07-01 Beach
2009-07-01 Beach (100)
2009-07-01 Beach (100)crpd
2009-07-01 Beach (100)bw

I don't clear off the memory card until I've uploaded them to Shutterfly and backed them up to the EHD which is about once a week.

Oh and how I wish I could keep up with the editing :-(

Hope this helps. DonnaNJ

[Jana Morton]

This is a hot topic in our house. I don't delete anything & I take millions of pictures...I am also a two page layout girl so needless to say I use a TON of memory. My husband is a computer guy for his profession and he can't get over how much memory I use. I just have a hard time deleting anything because I am always working on various projects. I don't edit and delete...I always keep the original. My birthday is coming up and I am asking for more memory! Ha!

[kikimama]

Hehe, I can't say I'm organised with photos either.

I use iPhoto, and that's my excuse. It divides everything for me by date, and because it has the face recognition I don't really need to organise much further as I can find all my photos of Amy in one place.

I've been starting to add keywords too, but that's a huge task.

I did sit down earlier in the year and deleted a ton of photos where I had 10 very similar - ah digital cameras. I got scared though as I reached the start of this year as I've been doing the 365 project so my photo-taking has increased hugely!!

I definitely keep the originals, not sure why, just seems like I should lol. Then I only normally edit a photo while I'm using it on a page or wherever.

[LauraBean]

I use Apple's Aperture to edit and organize my photos. They get imported into a project inside a month folder. Most random pictures just go into, for example, the October 09 project within the October 09 folder, but for events I'll make a separate project within that folder. I tag images in Aperture, some on import and some after. I do light edits right away, and I mark rejects right away. The rejects go into a separate folder in Aperture and I don't see them anymore unless I want to; about once a month or so I go through and determine if I really want to delete them, and then I do. I am relatively ruthless about deleting: I really, really don't need 50 shots of some bird in a tree when 36 of them are soft or don't show its eyes or whatever. I just save the best. I'm a bit more lenient with people pictures, but even then--I take a lot of pictures of my family, and I do delete crummy ones or ones that are nearly alike but not quite as good.

Aperture does nondestructive editing, so the original is always saved and new edits or new edited versions take up very little space.

[quilter422]

i don't edit as i download, only as i'm using a photo (to send to a friend or relative, or for a layout). i always save the original and the edited photo under different names, but in the same folder. i do delete bad photos immediately after i download them.

i use picasa to manage my photos. i save all my photos in the following structure:
year folder (e.g., 2009)
--> date taken folder (e.g., 10-11-2009)
--> individual big event folder (e.g. a vacation or a wedding)

once all the photos i'm planning to scrap are scrapped, i put the word "scrapped" in front of the date in the folder name.

[DonnaNJ]

LisaD hope you don't mind if I expand this question a bit. Since I'm new to Digital Scrapbooking I'm also curious how everyone handles storing the pages the do. I was thinking to add a folder in each year to store a 'Year in Review' type set of pages... but if you're doing individual pages do you store them in the folder for that event? and if your doing say 'Life in Review' with pictures from all different years do you make a new folder? Thanks DonnaNJ

PS: Janice I really like that idea of marking the folders 'scrapped' that's a great hint :-)

[suzanne]

I do the same thing as DonnaNJ as far as making a yearly folder and then inside that one folders labeled with date taken & event or person. I also do not edit until I get ready to use them for something.

[dorah]

I upload all my photos into files that are labeled by month/year (102009 for this month) and then within those files they are divided by day. Even if there is a special event they still are uploaded like this. I only edit the photos I use as needed. I always keep the original and rarely keep the edited version unless I really like the look of it.
My pages go into files according to what event and or book they belong to. For example I have a monthly file where my 365 pages go and any pages I make for the challenges here. Everything generally starts with the date I am making it or the date of the special event.

[katrinak]

I upload and tag everything in Lightroom into folders by year, then by date. I keyword every picture with as many words as fit. (person's name, event, color, rating of photo)

I then only edit as I use them when I feel compelled.

I remember my stories and funny things that Ian says through my blog, twitter and facebook. I wouldn't be able to function without the history I can so easily create with them (usually on my phone in the bathroom...I know TMI)

[Kayleigh]

My photos go into month by month folders & then when there is events in that month they are put into folders within the month folders. I only edit as i am using a photo & keep those seperate in an edited folder.

As to my pages, I keep them in folders as they would be printed into books. And I just recently uploaded all my pages to shutterfly that still need to be printed. (Just in case I loose everything!)

[geekgirl415]

hmm.... lots to ponder. I have been stressed out about getting all my photos edited - but maybe i need to keep it simple and edit when i get ready to use.... what a concept!

[LisaD]

[QUOTE=DonnaNJ;191084]Big events like weddings, First Communions, etc. I make a folder with the date and name of the event and then a subfolder called originals. I copy everything into originals then run thru them real quick and delete the bad ones. Then I rename the photos to match the folder. Then I copy the originals into what I consider the editing folder which is the first one I created and edit away.

Oh, this is a really great idea. I'll have to start using that one.

[LisaD]

Jana, Happy pre-birthday. I hope you get your memory. I need some myself.

Janice, Love the idea of putting "scrapped" in the title.

Katrina, actually laughed out loud at your TMI (good thing everyone's asleep here)

Like Dorah, I use a yearly folder and then inside that one folders labeled with date taken (sometimes I'll mark an event). then on my backup hard drive I do yearly folder, monthly folder, then the sub-folders by date. Not sure why?

I have been editing when I go to use. However, my thought, which prompted the question was if I edit, then I could upload the photos to a website (kodak, shutterfly, whatever). Do you upload photos without edits?

And, Donna, I don't mind your expansion question. Interested in everyone's answers here myself. My storage looks like this (I do some mini/printed books otherwise I print out individually for the album -i do paper + pixel):
Scrapped:
Digi
Year
Special Album
Special Album
To Print
Individual layouts
I do the some w/ photos of paper layouts (except no 'to print' file) and I do the same with digi editable - the psd file of the layouts.

I'll be out for the next week, will check back when we return. Hope everyone has a wonderful week.