One of the truly great things about shooting digitally is the freedom to simply snap away. Of course the downside to all this is you are likely to end up with a a lot of images...and I mean a LOT.

If you are anything like me, you probably have a large collection of photos - some which you really like and others which might not be your best work but are still worth keeping.

What do you do with all these pics? How do you keep track of them? How do you keep them sorted? I just ordered another 1.5 terabytes of storage (yes, terabytes) so the issue is on my mind! ;)

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I'm going to cover two methods; one simple and free (but still very effective!) and another for those who are looking for an advanced way to catalog and sort their work.

1. Using Directories to Keep Things Organized: 

Totally simple, completely free, and highly effective. It's also a good idea even if you are going to go with a more advanced method.

Bascially the goal here is to create a logical structure which you can place images into. Usually grouped by date, subject, and / or image 'status'.

Here's a simplified look at mine:

First off, you might notice I have a seperate drive just for my images. This is a precautionary measure (in case my operating system fails) as well as making for efficient backups.

To begin, I bring all images (in this case unprocessed RAW's) in under the directory '5D' (my current body). I organize these by Year, Month, Day. BTW - you can organize them by whatever you like! I just choose date because it make sense to me.

I also keep a 'Misc' directory as a sort of holding tank for random images that people have sent me etc.

When I'm actually editing images I move them into the 'Workspace' directory. This avoids confusion regarding images status and also allows me to let things 'marinate'. I find at times, it's helpful to set aside an image and come back to it later.

When images are complete I move them into 'Snapshots' (if they are images that aren't really up to my standards yet are fun or worth keeping). I move them into 'Photographs' for good quality shots that aren't sepcifically produced for clients. Finally my client produced shots all end up under (you guessed it!) 'Clients'.

Under each of these directories are sub headings of Year, Month, & Day (+ client name within clients).

Finally, I always maintain a 'Temp' directory for very short term holding of processed images (for example resized and sharpened MLS photos). This is good place for temp images that you need but don't want to get mixed up with your 'master' files.

2. Image Catalog & Archiving Software:

There are several companies working to help you keep better track of your images. They've created a sort of database software designed and marketed specifically for photographers (which is to say anyone with a whole lot of images!).

One of the most popular is Expression Media (my current favorite). However, as with everything - there are a variety of choices. Pick whichever suits you best. :)

I don't have the time to go through a full review of the software, rather I'll just cover the basics:

At the heart of program is the ability to categorize images, rate them, assign attributes and keywords to them.

For example, I've put together a catalog of most (I'm a little behind) of my architectural images. I've rated them by quality, given them some simple keywords (horz, vertical etc).

Note: It's a good idea to work out your keyword process ahead of time. If you decide later to add new keywords you may have to go back and re-edit the words for each image to make the new words fit!

One of the coolest features of these programs is the ability of the 'catalog' images regardless of their location.  If you have a good directory structure from method 1 great...but if you don't that's ok too. You can also include images in 'offline' locations...external hardrives, usb devices...even CD's or DVD's. Pretty cool!

And of course all these images are searchable which makes for very fast indexing. Quite handy when looking for that one specific image.

:)

Cheers, -B