Top 15 Ways to Organize, Store, and Display Your Printed Photos

Many of us enjoy actively documenting our lives, using all kinds of photography to create photo memories that last forever. We often seek the services from professional photographers for life milestone portraits such as weddings and elopements, maternity and newborn photo sessions. We also have easy access to high quality cameras to photograph the everyday moments that fill our days.

With photography being such a a popular pastime, so many of us have taken thousands of photos of family, friends and pets. Not to mention all the inherited family photos from the generations before us. Now the question is, what do we do with all these photos?

Just like with all of the belongings in our life, we need to develop an organizational and storage system for our photos. Developing this system works double duty: keeping our memories safe and secure, while also preserving our sanity and avoiding a home filled with chaos and untidiness.

And finally, we share unique ways to display your favorite photo memories so that you can admire them as often as you’d like.

In this guide you will gain valuable insight from a professional photo organizer on how to get started with your own photo organizing project. We cover the entire process from start to finish, giving you the confidence to tackle the ambitious project of organizing your photo archives and creating a streamlined process for future photos. If you’re ready to get started, then roll up your sleeves and let’s dive in together!

Cleaning Up the Clutter Created By Printed Photos & Digital Photos

There’s a tipping point where all these wonderful photos can start to become a burden. This occurs when an unorganized and inefficient photo storage system has started creeping into your everyday living space.

Is Your House Overflowing with Boxes of Printed Photos?

While we cherish all of these heartfelt mementos, having a large collection of printed photos in your home can become overwhelming and create unwanted clutter. Many of us are guilty of having boxes of photos stashed all over the house and drawers with random photos floating around the house.

The first to remedying this situation is admitting there’s a problem with your photo organization system. Secondly, when you realize that an organized system will allow you much easier access to your collection of photos, you’ll feel motivated to put in the work of organizing.

Digital Photos Can Create Digital Clutter

Digital clutter is when you’ve got an inefficient system of organizing your files and folders on your computer, laptop or hard drives. If there’s no discernible order, it can be impossible to find the exact photo you’re searching for.

Digital clutter can affect you in other ways beyond not being able to find photos. For example your computers and devices can run out of storage space and start acting up.

Additionally, if you haven’t taken the time to organize and backup digital photos, they can get lost forever on a device that breaks, gets lost, is attacked by a virus or becomes outdated tech.

Top Way to Organize Your Photos

The first step in this process is organizing your photos. When it comes to organization flow, the process is as unique as your stories that created them. Therefore, there’s a variety of different ways you can start arranging your collection depending on your bigger picture goals and what works best for you.

Organize Your Photos Chronologically By Year

Since our lives unfold chronologically, why not have our photos do the same? By organizing your photos, photo albums, or photo boxes by year, it makes it easier to not only relocate photos by date, but to also capture and share your family’s authentic story as it naturally evolved over time.

The best way to start organizing your pictures in this way is to create a timeline of your, or a loved one’s, life journey. You can document major life events like birthdays, anniversaries, and adventures or even smaller but memorable events like a school play, adopting a new pet, or the time you got a broken arm (hard to forget that one!). Taking these memories into consideration can make it easier to recall dates, create a timeline of events, and help you organize your collection chronologically.

If it helps, you can also use colored index cards as time markers. What you’ll do is grab a bright colored pack of index cards, write one year per card (ex: 1992, 1993, 1994, etc), and place each photo behind the index card of the particular year that it was captured! Once you have sorted through all of your photos and placed them behind their corresponding card, you can then organize each year individually and chronologically by month or season.

Organize Your Photos in Groups by Category, Timeframe or Occasion

If you’d rather sort your photos for a specific occasion or to capture a unique moment in time, organizing them in groups is the way to go. Groups can be organized by category (such as “Pets” or “College”), by timeframe (such as “Early 1980s” or “2000-2002”), or by occasion (such as “Graduation” or “Wedding”).

To begin, start by setting up an open area on a table or hard surface. Then, grab your favorite set of colored sticky notes and a sharpie. As you begin to review your collection of photos, start creating categories as suggested above (“Pets”, “Early 1980s”, “Wedding”, etc) and write each new category down on a sticky note so you can easily find, track, and add photos to the applicable categories.

As an example, let’s say you come across a photo of your childhood dog, Maggie. You can write “Pets” on a sticky note and begin to place all of your pet-related pictures in a pile behind the note.

Organize Your Digital Photos by Using Facial Recognition and Keywords

If you want to find photos in your collection quickly and easily according to the people who are in them or search terms to help you find them, using facial recognition and keywords are the way to go! I recommend SmugMug as it has a user-friendly interface with search functionality for facial recognition, keywords and filenames.

You know those moments when you’re in the middle of a great story with a friend, want to show them a specific picture, but can’t seem to find it? (Yeah, I’ve been there too!) One of the benefits of assigning facial recognition and keywords to your digital photos is that you can not only find photos that include a specific person or event quickly and easily, but you can also share your entire collection with your friends and family - allowing them to do the same!

If you’re a parent with kids, you may also benefit from organizing your family’s photo collection using facial recognition and keywords. That’s because it can be tricky to organize your photos according to each specific child. If you have multiple kids, then you know that it’s more common to find pictures of your kids together vs pictures of each child individually. Since most pictures will include a mix of some or all of your kids, it makes it really difficult to decide which child gets each group photo and if you do take this route, each child is only getting part of their life story categorized under their name… ack!

That’s why using facial recognition and keywords are super helpful; you can categorize by person no matter how many group photos or family pictures you’ve got.

Store Your Printed Photos Inside Specialized Archival Storage Boxes & Albums

Archival photo albums and boxes allow you to sort, organize, and store your precious printed photos in a way that preserves and protects them from external elements as they age. The materials used to create archival storage books and containers should be acid-free and protect them from light.

Since your photo memories are priceless, preserving them in archival storage helps ensure that your printed photos can be enjoyed for generations. When it comes to archival quality, there are a variety of levels that you can choose from and it really depends on the level of protection for your photos that you’d like to have.

Ultimately, I recommend selecting a storage option that is free of dyes and chemicals since these can deteriorate your print photos over time. Also, it’s a good practice to use labeled archival dividers for years and events to help keep your photos organized.

Best Places to Shop for Archival Photo Storage Boxes and Albums

The Container Store

The Container Store’s archival photo storage products are made of acid-free and lignin-free materials, plus they a buffering agent to neutralize any migrant acid and atmospheric pollutants. So you can feel assured that your very old family portrait photos are safe from deterioration.

Container Store archival photo storage solutions include:

Etsy

Etsy is an artisan online marketplace where you can find unique and handcrafted items in a range of categories. The beauty of Etsy is that you’ll find highly styled and curated products for those who want more than just a basic look and feel.

On Etsy they have many archival photo storage products, which range in levels of quality and how “photo safe” they are. Make sure to fully read the descriptions and ask the seller any questions that arise before purchasing.

Etsy archival photo storage solutions include:

Secure Photo Backup Systems

On the subject of keeping our photos safe from harm, having a backup system is an absolute must. Of course we don’t like to assume that the worst could happen, but the reality is that natural disasters do happen, homes burn down in fires, and you could potentially lose all your hardcopies of photos in one tragic event. Below we outline the best ways to backup your photos.

Store Your Photos on an External Hard Drive by Digitizing your Prints

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from my photo organizing journey is how critical it is to digitize and store your collection in multiple locations. This helps ensure that your photos are kept safe and protected, especially because a properly formatted external hard drive can easily be stored in a water and fire safe box or safety deposit box.

This additional backup may seem like an extra step, but trust me - it’s incredibly beneficial as it gives you access to a digital copy of your print photo collection in the event that a disaster or tragedy destroys the originals.

Store Your Photos in the Cloud by Digitizing Your Prints

Storing your photo collection in the cloud not only provides an additional backup in the event that your external hard drive becomes damaged or lost, but it also provides an easy location for you to view and share your photos from anywhere!

I recommend implementing both an Online Storage Solution and an Online Backup Solution for your collection of photos.

What’s the difference between the two?

An Online Storage Solution creates a digital space for you to easily access, view, and share your photos and videos.

I recommend finding an online storage solution that’s simple to learn and easy to use so that you don’t have to learn an entirely new or complex software. Also, a good rule of thumb is to look for a storage solution that has a downloadable mobile app option so you can access your photos on your phone just as easily. One that I recommend is SmugMug.

An Online Backup Solution creates an additional copy of your photos and videos in case your original photos get lost or damaged.

The purpose of your online backup solution is to be a resource that can be used if you happen to lose all other access to your photos. Since this isn’t the place that you’d be viewing and sharing your pictures with others, it isn’t meant to be as organized and visually appealing as the other options we’ve discussed. Instead, this software enables you to download your entire saved collection on demand, if needed! One that I recommend is Backblaze.

Unique Ways to Display Your Printed Photographs

The best part of having photos you love is displaying and sharing them in fun and aesthetically pleasing ways. Even better if you can incorporate your favorite photos into your home decor. Below I’ve listed some photo display suggestions to inspire your next photo project.

Displaying Your Photos in a Traditional Frame

Nothing makes your house feel more like a home than proudly displaying or hanging photos of your family, travels, or memories in traditional frames throughout your environment. While digital options are continuing to dominate much of our lives, who doesn’t love displaying pictures in frames on our walls, desks, and vanities and being reminded of the people or times in our lives that make us smile?

This option will forever be a classic when it comes to displaying and sharing your photos. If you’d like a more upgraded feature, look for a frame that has magnets or clips. This makes it easy to swap out pictures as you create new memories!

Make a Gallery Wall in Your Home

A gallery wall is a statement interior design wall comprised of hanging framed photos. They can be completely uniform or be of different shapes and sizes. It is often eclectic with intentional miss-matching of frames, but displayed in a way that has a common theme and feels put together. Framebridge is a service that helps you easily design a gallery wall with your own photos. You send them the digital copies and they will print, frame and ship to you.

Displaying Your Photos in a Digital Frame

If you want to give your traditional frames an upgrade or have a variety of pictures on your phone that you don’t care to get physical prints of, digital frames are a great option to try!

Digital frames have come a long way over the years…

You can now easily, seamlessly, and instantaneously add photos to your frame from your phone. This gives you the ability to always keep your digital frame up to date with pictures from the latest adventure, family gathering, or good time since you no longer have to wait to get your photos printed and framed!

Years ago, I even got one for my parents. Like many grandparents, they have grandchildren all over the country and can’t make it to every event. Instead, I update their digital frames in real time with the latest pictures of the kids and they love seeing the new photos pop up. My mom has even shared with me that she’ll often sit and watch her digital frame with a huge smile as photos from different memories and events cycle through.

A company I recommend for digital frames is Nixplay.

Displaying Your Photos in Photo Books

Now don’t tell anyone, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret; photo books are the photo albums of the 21st century.

As a child, I loved looking and going page-by-page through albums displaying photos of my parent’s and family’s journey. However, those old albums are usually large, bulky, and take up so much space that they end up in boxes collecting dust! Plus, the materials used in these old school albums are often harmful and bad for storing your photos.

A photo book, on the other hand, is professionally printed and allows you to tell your story using digitized photos. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, covers and look beautifully polished on a coffee table or bookshelf.

An added benefit of creating a photo book is the ability to easily print another copy either for a gift or if the book gets damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster, a 2 year old with a crayon, or a coffee spill. Photo Books make ideal gifts to share memorable events and are an incredibly personal and meaningful gift.

Mixbook has some great templates available for photo books.

Scrapbooking is Back!

In the early 2000’s scrapbooking had a popular resurgence with scrapbooking parties filled with fancy stickers, colorful paper and nifty cutting gadgets. Then it went quiet for 20 years and has now reemerged as popular again, but with a modern twist.

Current scrapbooking trends include a combination of journaling with photos, rustic chic vibes, and vintage botanical inspired. Etsy has the best scrapbooking starter kits and supplies.

Projects with polaroid pictures are also on the rise, both with old school Polaroid Cameras and newer editions such as Fujifilm Instax.

Blogging is the new Digital Photo Diary

If you enjoy taking series of photos that tell a story, and maybe possibly pairing it with some narrative or helpful guides, then maybe blogging is the perfect way to share your photography. This is obviously a very public forum to share your photos, so it’s clearly not for everyone. But if the idea of sharing your photography body of work with the world sounds fun, I suggest starting a blog. You’d be amazed at the opportunities that open up to you when you share your work for others to enjoy.

Still Feeling Overwhelmed with Starting an Organization Project with your Photo Collection?

While it can be human nature to feel like you need to find and select the “perfect” solutions, process, or time to get started with organizing, storing, and displaying your pictures, the truth is, that’s not the case. The best approach is to just get started! That way, you can spend less time overthinking the process and more time making and sharing your memories - that’s where all the fun is anyway!

About the Author

Rachel Arbuckle is the founder of 2000 Paces Photo Organizing, a San Diego-based photo organizing company dedicated to providing authentic, compassionate solutions that transform photo and memorabilia chaos into organized, preserved collections that are easily shared and enjoyed for generations.

Rachel’s Personal Journey Which Inspired Her Photo Organizing Company

In 2014, fierce wildfires roared through San Diego County…

The biggest of which began on the mountain just behind my home.

Since I only had a few minutes to grab whatever I could, my first instinct was to collect all of our family’s precious photos.

But when I realized that our memory-filled photos were scattered all over our house (you know, in picture frames, boxes, and albums), I panicked!

Quickly, I grabbed what was in sight and ran to safety…

Now I’ll admit, the days that followed were filled with worry; worry that we’d lose our home and all the items inside that are irreplaceable (like our precious family photos).

Thankfully, we were able to breathe a sigh of relief when we learned that our home remained safe from the wildfires.

While my family and I returned home to the memories we nervously left behind, others in our community weren’t as fortunate…

They lost their homes and the one-of-a-kind family photos that lived within them.

While seeing my community in turmoil and having such a close call myself was challenging, it was also the moment that changed my life…

Because from that moment on I knew I had to do something to not only protect my family’s cherished photos, but also to help others do the same.

And that’s when this journey began…

I started with my own collection of photos - properly organizing, storing, and displaying them. Then before you know it, I founded 2000 Paces Photo Organizing to empower and help others do the same.

Whether you’re looking for a new way to organize photos, store your printed photos, or creative ways to display photos, this article is here to help you get started so that you too can preserve your family photos for future generations without feeling overwhelmed by the process.