Wondering how to archive all those family photos? January is the month I tend to organize my home, usually starting with closets and the many toys scattered around. As I sift through material objects, I try to take stock of what holds emotional value, keeping family memories high on my list. For family photos, on the other hand, I find that creating easy systems to catalog, save and preserve them can often be the hardest to implement.

As a mom and a family photographer, those many, many digital photos on hard drives, in the cloud, and on my phone can keep me up at night. Will my kids be able to see any of their childhood photos when they are grown and using the iPhone6000? Will desktop computers still be a thing when my future grandchildren want to see their parents as babies? Let’s get those digital images off our phones and safe for years to come.

Okay, I’m being a little dramatic, but how will all these digital photos last for generations, and what is the best way to keep them organized? What’s the best way to save digital pictures for life?

I have made it my mission to find the best methods of archiving digital images, both professional photos and the ones on your phone. You can do one or all of these easy steps to get a handle on your family’s memories. What’s the most important step? It’s also the easiest. Start where you are and just move forward. I hope they help you find a way to help organize your digital life!

1. Move Forward

Let’s start with the big one. Who has the time, energy, patience, and stamina to go through all the many years of photos of your family? Let alone, photos from when you were a kid. It’s a daunting task to get your digital images off of your phone and safely stored for a lifetime. So start where you are. When you get a few systems in place to archive your photos, going back a year or two won’t feel as overwhelming. What photos are important to you from December or January? Start there, get your pictures off of your phone, and just move forward.

2. Cloud Backup Systems

If you use iPhoto or another service to back up your phone pictures, make sure to create a backup using a cloud service and not just the desktop of your current computer or laptop. Some popular cloud storage options include Dropbox, Google Drive, and Apple iCloud. Costs can vary from free to subscriptions. This is one of the best ways to save your best family portraits when one glass of spilled milk onto a laptop can delete your only backup.

For your phone’s digital pictures, you can directly send them into the cloud and bypass downloading them onto a computer first. It’s also an easy way to keep your backup plan automated so you don’t have to think about them. Keep culling your phone photos down to your favorites to keep your cloud storage from filling up too fast.

3. External Hard Drives

A quality hard drive can be easy to use and store. They have also become less expensive and hold more data, which makes them perfect for photos and videos. Designate one hard drive just for your photos, videos and family memorabilia. Make sure to drag your digital images onto your hard drive using folders by date so you can easily figure out where and what those folders are filled with in the future. Also make sure to put a label on the actual hard drive so you can store them according to year.

If you use a laptop at home, invest in a portable hard drive that does not have a spinning disk inside. They are called portable SSD drives, and if you (or a child) drops it, it most likely won’t break. They are a little pricier but worth it. If you want to dive into the tech world of hard drives, this is a great article in Wired.

Or if you just want to pick one, try this one: San Disk Portable SSD.

And don’t forget, you are going to need to copy your photos over to a new hard drive every 2-3 years to stay on top of changing technology.

4. Print Your Photos

Nothing beats a print for archiving your images. A quality print will last 50-100 years if it’s kept safely in an archival box. And it’s the only method that does not change with technology. Prints can include wall art such as canvases or framed prints, but you can also print smaller 4×6 proofs. Storage boxes are inexpensive and can be a lovely way to quickly throw in your prints for long term. Your kids will always have that physical copy of their childhood ready to look at and enjoy.

Not all prints are equal. Print your photos with a high quality lab that uses archival quality paper and ink to ensure that your prints last for a long time. I suggest using luster as your paper finish for a look that is a cross between glossy and mat. For online prints that deliver straight to your door and are easy to use, try mpix.com and nations photo lab, or locally here in New Orleans lakesidephotoworks.com.

Archival boxes meant for photo storage are easy to find. You don’t need to spend a lot of time organizing what goes in them. The important thing is to get the prints in them and store them on a high, dry shelf for safekeeping. You can find archival photo boxes online, but this is a good one.

I hope this helps when you are ready to archive your family photos Your kids will love seeing themselves grow up over the years and all the love and energy of their family mirrored back through those beautiful photos.

This year when you are thinking of booking a family portrait session in the San Francisco Bay Area, consider contacting me for a fun brainstorming chat! I love helping families in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Walnut Creek, Marin, San Jose, and beyond! Let’s make memories a priority this 2023!