Recommendations on How to Organize Photos

[NorthernFocus]

...Personally, I use a flat folder structure administered by Nikon ViewNX, which I still use to import from the memory cards; all at one level below the single "Nikon_Downloads" master folder, named with a sequential number, followed by a code for which camera shot them with and the event or place name of shooting. I find I generally remember where I was and which camera I used when trying to find a file - as I haven't used keywords religiously enough
...

Clearly you haven't yet mastered the fine art of confusion. Though you're well along the way with your prior desctiption of the pets/family members scenarios. But what about those partially filled memory cards that you let languish in the camera for days/weeks. Now there's not a single place, event, subject, date that you can assign to that folder. But you won't truly be walking among giants until you also throw multiple camera bodies and card formats into the mix as well. So multiple bodies, multiple card formats, containing images from multiple dates, at multiple locations and of multiple subjects. I'm tired just thinking about it. So I think I'll wait till tomorrow to get started....

[Dave Humphries]

Dan,

I always download before I go out again

.

.

.

.

.

.

and when I don't
I split them up into separate folders for review

[Cantab]

Dan,

I always download before I go out again

.

.

.

.

.

.

and when I don't
I split them up into separate folders for review

Me too

[terrib]

Thank you Terri,
I am currently working my way through the tutorials of Hal Schmidt which I like... If you think I should also do those by George Jardine, I will if you think they have something more for me to learn.

Thank you for the recommendation.

I'm not familiar with Hal Schmidt's tutorials so I can't say whether Jardine's would be redundant or not. So how does Schmidt recommend you organize your photos?

[Brownbear]

Hi Terri,

I don't know, yet, because I skipped the import, sort and organize modules and started with the develop modules... In hindsight since I'm organizing my photos I suppose I should've started at the beginning but I figured my photos were already in my computer so...

I will take a look at a couple of these modules this week and report back.

Thank you.

I'm not familiar with Hal Schmidt's tutorials so I can't say whether Jardine's would be redundant or not. So how does Schmidt recommend you organize your photos?

[Alandb]

I can second George Jardine's videos. I can also recommend Laura Shoe's. I am currently working through Jardine's Image Correction videos and they are absolutely first rate.

[Cantab]

I'm not familiar with Hal Schmidt's tutorials so I can't say whether Jardine's would be redundant or not. So how does Schmidt recommend you organize your photos?

Terri, at the risk of missing something important, I'll try to give a high level summary of Schmitt's approach.

His highest level of organization is by date. So for the year 2013, I have parent 2013 folder in which there is a collection of dated folders (in most cases bearing the date when the image was taken, and where it was taken (and sometimes what was taken-at least that's what I do).

Then when importing the pictures of a particular date, they go into this newly created folder and are given a custom name: same as the folder but also including the subject matter (for me, if not in the folder name) and including (in my case) the original unique image number generated by the camera. His mantra is "When, where, what".

So at the end of the process, not only does each image file have a name which tells you when, where and what it is but the overall structure (and coupled with keywords....) should allow one to find images easily. Anyway that's the basic theory.

Schitt is good at walking one through the process of doing this with the minimal number of steps.

So far the process seems to work well for me.

[Cantab]

I'm not familiar with Hal Schmidt's tutorials so I can't say whether Jardine's would be redundant or not. So how does Schmidt recommend you organize your photos?

Terri, at the risk of missing something important, I'll try to give a high level summary of Schmitt's approach.

His highest level of organization is by date. So for the year 2013, I have a parent 2013 folder in which there is a collection of folders bearing the date when the image was taken and where it was taken (and sometimes what was taken-at least that's what I do).

Then when importing pictures of a particular date, they go into this newly created folder and are given a custom name: same as the folder but also including the subject matter (for me, if not in the folder name) and including (in my case) the original unique image number generated by the camera. His mantra is "When, where, what".

So at the end of the process, not only does each image file have a name which tells you when, where and what it is but the overall structure (and coupled with keywords....) should allow one to find images easily. Anyway that's the basic theory.

Schitt is good at walking one through the process of doing this with the minimal number of steps.

So far the process seems to work well for me.

[Digital]

Hi all: I also go by date of the shoot; however I am good at putting files in folders that resemble the folder where the original shoot is located. Problem is I have so many subfolders that looking for a particular file can be daunting to anyone who is not use to "my system". There is order in my madness. I be the last person on planet earth to instruct anyone how to organize their photo files.

Bruce

[Alandb]

I'm not sure if this is helpful, but Breezebrowser Downloader Pro allows you to rename, locate and duplicate your files better than Lightroom. It can info from your metadata (camera model, etc.). This also may add more complication and confusion for the OP.

[Mike Buckley]

I mentioned when this thread first got started that I catalog my images. Now that the thread has been revived, I'll explain that I also use a systematic folder-management system that makes it easy for my wife to find any image when she forgets how to use my cataloging software.

Almost all of the files are stored in folders according to their geographic location. The directory is "Location" and its first set of folders is according to the continent (we like to travel). The sub-folders pertain to country, state or region, and city.

Family photos are stored in the "Family" directory. When the subject is one person, that photo is stored in a folder dedicated to that person. When two or more family members are the subject, that photo is stored in a folder named "Two or More People."

I also make versions of photos for use in printed books and slideshows. Those photos are stored in a folder of the directory named either "Books" or "Slideshows."

All of that makes it really easy for my wife to look up a particular photo using the physical file system. Meanwhile, I almost always look up a photo using my catalog.

[rawill]

Interesting Mike.

I have found the year and month system a real problem when I am looking for a subject.
In other ways the year and month is good, but some "photos" get lost under the system.

[edjbartos]

I think what Dave mentioned above makes a lot of sense. I used lightroom from version 3 and it took ages to get the right structure that would work for me. I eventually created a folder on my drive called "Digital Pictures" and within that folder i created seperate folder's for the years i.e 2010, 2011 2012 etc. Within each year folder i would create a shoot folder starting with a date followed by the event name. For example if i took pictures of my garden today i would create a folder called 20130603_Garden. Everything is keyworded on import so its easy to either search through keywords or look through the folder structure for other shots of an event.

Eddie

[Digital]

I think what Dave mentioned above makes a lot of sense. I used lightroom from version 3 and it took ages to get the right structure that would work for me. I eventually created a folder on my drive called "Digital Pictures" and within that folder i created seperate folder's for the years i.e 2010, 2011 2012 etc. Within each year folder i would create a shoot folder starting with a date followed by the event name. For example if i took pictures of my garden today i would create a folder called 20130603_Garden. Everything is keyworded on import so its easy to either search through keywords or look through the folder structure for other shots of an event.

Eddie

Eddie, if I am reading this right for this day's shoot you would use 20130703_Garden. You have 20130603_Garden.
I do not mean to be picky: however I want to understand your system.

Bruce

[edjbartos]

i'm sorry Bruce you are right i'm still in June mode, i should have put 20130703_Garden

[Dave Humphries]

By default; all computer file systems and image cataloguing software can locate files based on a date entered, so I see the storage of images in dated folders as unnecessary duplication of that information, usually accomplished at the expense of something that cannot be searched for - unless you have taken the time to keyword the images - and as I admitted above, that's still something I 'forget' to do

I suppose if you have a 'second user' who isn't so computer adept, there's some sense in it.

[The Blue Boy]

Christina,

Simon's advice is very good,

Photo collections should be stored in normal folders just like any other electronic file and backed up just like any other electronic file. All metadata should go with the file either embedded, if you use JPGs, or in an associated XMP file if you use RAW files.

Picassa, Lightroom, Elements, Photoshop, ... these are just tools. Tools that are present now but may at any time not be available. Use Picassa to find faces in images but ensure that all tags are stored with the file not just in a database somewhere that only Picassa can access.

What would happen if a program stopped being made or your database corrupted? Essentially you loose hundreds of hours of work. If the metadata is embedded with the images all you need to do is open the new program you have found (say for example digiKam if you get into Open Source alternatives), point it at the main image directory and BANG all you data is back again!

The trick is to ensure that all the data you have about your images is stored in standard metadata format and all you images are stored in a logical fashion. Don't worry so much about the primary organization, your tags will allow whatever Digital Asset Managament (DAM) System you use to find that file you are after.

You state that you're using Windows. This will always bring up the question box of "what do you want to do" box when either a card reader or camera is plugged into the computer. You just specify the destination and name the folder.

I use PS and always import using Bridge, (it always gives me this option in the above mentioned box) select a name for the folder and carry on. It will, by default, import into the folder "Photographs and Videos" on my hard drive and automatically open Bridge.

So now we come to workflow really. So here's mine,

1, Import files, (always raw in my case) name folder, i.e. "Sri Lanka, 2013, Bird watch", for instance.

2, Add metadata using a template. And here's a top tip. If your software allows you to do this, create the template before the shoot. You can then append this at any later date adding or deleting information relevant to the file. This tip was given to me by a wedding photographer and I've since found it invaluable. Put it this way, in the time it's taken you to read or write a couple of posts here, you've written a complete template for tomorrows shoot, be it a family get together or a wedding.

3, Backup files to whatever medium. Disk, external hard drive, cloud.

Now you're free to potter about,

4, Select the "keepers" and edit them. Share 'em or whatever. I have a folder named "For print".

At the end of the day it's a filing system. So keywords added to files are the most important element for future search.

[Brownbear]

Thank you to all for your replies.

Mark, Thank you for some great tips.

I do use key words, usually birds, type of bird, colour of bird, place photographed, type of shot, ie action, flight, fun, names of people and subject matter... Have yet to try searching for photos but I am using key words.

[HenkB]

Have yet to try searching for photos but I am using key words.

That's great. Searching is easy. The search domain is chosen on the left side of the screen in either the Catalog, Folders or Collections panels. Press the G key, which will take you to Grid view in the Library module. At the top of the viewing window select the tab for metadata. Each of the subpanels can be set to show keywords or just about any relevant EXIF data. I have mine set (Left to Right) for Keywords, Dates, Cameras, Lenses and Labels. But these can all be changed. For instance, perhaps I might be looking for a Grebe I shot at Lake Whoseawunkagut but I don't remember when. If I have both Grebe and Placename as keywords, then, selecting All Photographs from the Catalog panel (Left side of the monitor) with the two leftmost panels of the metadata search set to keywords, I choose Grebe and Placename (it doesn't matter which is the primary term) out of all my images Lightroom will instantly display only those photos keyworded both Grebe and Placename. Once you are convinced of the competence of this feature, keywording should become something you look forward to.

[davidedric]

Almost all of the files are stored in folders according to their geographic location. The directory is "Location" and its first set of folders is according to the continent (we like to travel). The sub-folders pertain to country, state or region, and city.

I do the same as Mike, for similar reasons, though I haven't graduated to the "Continent" level (mind you, I have images for six out of seven, and I don't plan to visit Antarctica).

Plus Local, Family and Others. My organisation below that is a bit haphazard, tends to be by year and trip. However, I am only just beginning to understand how to make use of Lightroom collections. I think they will help me a lot, and fortunately my wife doesn't need to find anything. Of course, once I commit to Collections it becomes harder to manage the underlying folders, but I think that is a risk that I am going to take.

BTW I am currently working through Mr. Jardine's videos on the Library module, which I am finding very useful - much more so now I have a few months' experience of LR.