Family Photo Organization Help Desk: Free Solutions for Your Family Photos
Struggling with family photo organization? Check out the free monthly Memory Makers Meetup to get expert guidance, connect with others facing similar challenges, and finally start making progress on preserving your precious family memories—all in a supportive, no-pressure environment.
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If you’re like most family photo keepers, you likely have 30 years of photos (or more!) in boxes gathering dust and at risk for deterioration. You also likely have around 25 years of digital photos stored on multiple devices and/or cloud storage sites.
The Hidden Crisis in Family Photo Collections
The problem is that It can be overwhelming! The sheer numbers are daunting, and the technology required can be, too. To be honest, this is a big project and it is likely to take several years to complete. And if you don’t get started now (or at least very soon), it may never get done.
It can create fear that keeps you from making progress. Fear of doing it wrong, fear of not not knowing where to start. And maybe fear that your effort won’t be appreciated by your grown children and/or other family members.
And you may have tried to figure it out on your own. But you still don’t know what to do.
Why Traditional Family Photo Organization Advice May Not Work For You
Much of the advice out there about family photo organization is written by home organizers and lifestyle bloggers. They may have good intentions in sharing how they organized their photos, but often the advice is not based on best practices in the photo management industry. It’s much better to consult a Professional Photo Manager who stays current with innovations and standards in the field.
Digital-first solutions ignore printed photo realities
Much of the advice I’ve seen is about organizing digital photos. Most of the family photo keepers in my community are more concerned with their printed photos, even though their digital photos may be more at risk. The reason for this is simple – the printed photos are often of their kids growing up or of cherished ancestors long gone. These are the photos with the most meaning, and they are often the ones that haven’t been seen in a long time. These are the ones they want to preserve for future generations along with the family stories.
The emotional weight of handling family history
Family photos carry a lot of emotional weight. Of course we love many of the people in our photos. But outside events such as death, divorce, or accidents can change relationships forever, and therefore our feelings when viewing old photos. It can be too much to bear all alone. I haven’t seen much written about this, and yet, it’s something my community talks about all the time. Sometimes it just helps to know someone else who understands.
Fear of doing it wrong
No matter how many articles or books you read, how many videos you watch, or how many pins you pin on Pinterest, you may still be afraid to start on your family photo organization. Or perhaps you’ve started and stopped and started again. I honestly think this comes from trying to organize family photos in isolation. If you do something wrong, how will you know? That’s enough to stop some people in their tracks.
Overwhelm with technology and digitization options
Unless you had a career in technology or you’re under 40, computer tech is not your second language. Sure, you can navigate Facebook, make purchases online, and a few other useful tasks, but when you hear things about creating a Digital Photo Hub or scanning your photos at 600 dpi, your eyes glaze over. You need someone to explain these things to you like you’re five, and without making you feel stupid.
The 3 Biggest Challenges with Photo Organizing
1. “I don’t know where to start with 30 years of photos”
This is what I hear the most. The problem is that the family photo organization project is huge and you’re trying to view the whole thing at once. I have a couple resources to help you break it down and decide where to start:
- This is the most read article on my site, and it includes a free Getting Started Checklist.
- This article is specific to printed photos and includes a free cheat sheet.
- This article goes over how to create your plan and break things down into smaller steps.
- Here’s my free Photo Organizing Quiz that will give you a personalized score and an organized list of all my resources so you can quickly find the help you need.
2. “I’m afraid of making some big, irreversible mistake”
When it comes down to it, fear is usually what holds people back from completing – or even starting – on their family photo organization. But if you take the time to learn the basic best practices (something I teach in almost everything I create), you’ll find that many decisions are reversible without causing long-term harm or damage to your photos. And if you’re not sure – ask! I have multiple ways you can get my help, and many of them are free (and keep reading to find out about my newest way).
3. “The thought of scanning everything is overwhelming”
Family photo organization and scanning is a big project, for sure. Yet I do teach to digitize everything so that you have a backup, even if you want to scrapbook or work in some way with the printed photos. Another reason is that our grown children are in a phase of life where the physical photos and memories may not seem important to them. Yet I believe, and research confirms, that as they grow older, that longing for family memories will return and they’ll be glad you created something they didn’t have to lug around or store.
And you have a couple options for photo scanning. You can scan them yourself, or you can outsource the scanning. It all comes down to choosing which you would rather spend – your money or your time.
A Gentler Approach to Learning About Family Photo Organization
I’m always looking for ways I can help more people with their family photo organization, and I recently decided to offer a free ask-me-anything sort of event to my email community. The response was very positive, so I decided to keep doing it on a monthly basis.
Introducing the Memory Makers Meetup – your space to ask, share and connect with fellow family photo keepers! (I know we are Memory Keepers more than Memory Makers at this point in our lives, but I like alliteration 😁)
Here’s what makes these monthly, one-hour meetups special:
- We’ll kick things off with fun ice-breakers around photos, memories, and family stories
- You’ll get dedicated Q&A time to get your burning questions answered (by me and other participants – hear what works for them!)
- Plus, we’ll have time to just chat and connect with others who share your passion for preserving memories
The best part? It’s completely FREE!
I created this event specifically for people who feel overwhelmed by their photo collection as well as the technology to best organize and preserve it. Still not sure it can help you? Keep reading.
What Makes These Sessions Different
- No tech expertise or preparation required – just click the link at the meeting time and join us!
- Connect with others who share your values and concerns about family photos and memories
- Get answers to your specific situation and learn from others’ situations as well
- You don’t have to figure it out on your own! You can chat with other people who “get it” and maybe have some great advice for you based on their own journey.
- Learn at your own pace – and if you need more help, book a free Strategy Session with me.
- Gentle and patient guidance from start to finish (I used to teach preschool – I’m good at this)
Join Our Next Memory Makers Meetup
Ready to join a friendly community of family photo keepers just like you? Our Memory Makers Meetup can make the difference between you organizing your photos and only thinking about organizing them. We’ll spend a comfortable hour together sharing stories, solving challenges, and making new friends who understand exactly what you’re going through.
Whether you have thousands of photos or just a few precious albums, whether you’re tech-savvy or still learning – you’re welcome here. No pressure, no judgment, just warm support and practical guidance from people who get it.
Bring your questions, bring your challenges, or just bring yourself. We’d love to have you join our growing community of memory keepers!
Click the button below to go to my booking page, and scroll down to Upcoming Events. Look for Free Event: Memory Makers Meetup – you’ll see the dates and times listed for the next couple of events. And if that works for you – sign up! You’ll get reminders with the Google Meet link in them.
