Organize Decades of Photos in Less Than a Week

Recently, my mother-n-law and I were rummaging through a large bin of family photos. She said she had always wanted all her photos in family albums, but never had the time and honestly, didn't know where to start. Since Mother's Day was just around the corner I thought it was a project I would be willing to take on.

Here is how I sorted through twenty-some odd years of photos and created family photo albums that will be around for years to come:

Day 1: Remove Blurry Photos and Duplicates

Lay all the photos out on a table or kitchen counter for easy viewing. Only lay out a handful at a time so you are not overwhelmed. Look over all the photos and remove any blurry photos or duplicates.

Remember, your family photos are for display so you want the best pictures in the albums. As for the duplicates, you can frame these or make a separate photo album for a family member.

Place damaged photos in a separate pile from the rest. These photos may be able to be salvaged by cutting or cropping away the damaged corners.

As you handle the photos, determine how you would like to categorize them.

Day 2: Sort into Categories

Set your focus on how you want to organize the photos. For example, my husband's family went to Florida every year during his childhood, so I put all of the Florida photos together and decided to dedicate one family album to Florida photos only. At this point I did not worry about sorting out the photos chronologically. I placed all the Florida photos in a folder labeled 'Florida Vacations' and moved on to the next category.

I also had a category for 'Pets' because my husband's family had a zoo of animals and enough pet photos to dedicate to one album. I also dedicated one family album to 'Sports' because both my husband and his brother were very involved in athletic events growing up.

The great thing about sorting the photos in this way is you get to see what activities and events make up your family history. Every family will be different and that is what makes the family albums so unique.

Sorting through the photos at first can be very memorable; stay focused and don't get off track with story telling. There will be plenty of time for stories once the albums are completed.

Label big, bold, and neatly. Use separate folders to place the photos in to keep them separated and organized.

Day 3: Sorting Chronologically

The most difficult part of sorting the photos was determining what year the photos were taken. Here are some tips for sorting chronologically when unsure of the year:

- Look at hair styles. For little boys, shaved heads, bull cuts, or crew cuts? For little girls, notice the length of the hair, perms, or curls.
- For children, look at their teeth. Do they have a toothless grin? Do they have braces?
- Look at clothing styles. Cropped shirts, bell bottoms, or high waters?

Also, if you can find a yearbook or a dated photo, then you can use that to compare to other photos and sort correctly.

Day 4: Putting the Photos in Albums

Once you have your photos sorted with what you want to go into the albums you will want to choose an album that is best suited for the types of photos you have. You can choose to make a scrapbook of a certain category, or choose an album with plastic sleeves, or choose a decorative photo box.

Scrapbooks would be best if you have the extra time and money to devote to the photos and if you have a few select photos that you would like to creatively display. Keep in mind that Scrapbook albums usually only hold 10 sheets of paper, more can always be added if needed. Scrap booking also costs a lot more because of the extra expense of decorative embellishments like ribbon and stickers.

Plastic sleeve family albums can be purchased in various designs as well as various sizes and shapes. Photo albums with plastic sleeves can hold anywhere from 100 photos to 600 photos, sometimes more. These family photo albums are great if you have an abundance of photos and a tight budget and time limit. Always keep in mind, scrapbooks can always be made later on, so don't feel guilty for not devoting more time to your family photos.

Photo boxes are wonderful for storing your photos and keeping them sorted and organized. Photo boxes are hastle free, no plastic sleeves or decorative embellishments to worry about, just simple and easy. When family visits, take the photos from the protective photo boxes and place them in a decorative bowl for family to look at and reminisce. When the company is gone, place the photos back in their boxes and stow them away until another family gathering.