Boxing Options

You can use specially made photo boxes to create a filing system. Transfer prints from the photo-center packets to less bulky acid-free envelopes.

Clearly label each envelope with dates and any other identifying description -- Road trip to Yellowstone or Christmas 2004, for instance. Then separate the envelopes into specific categories for storage.

Label tabbed dividers to further organize into subcategories, perhaps by year or family member.

The key is to create categories that will fit all of your photos and that you'll remember when the time comes to search out that certain shot.

Find more tips below.

 

Albums or binders with acid-free plastic sleeves are great systems for organizing your photos. Identify shots by leaving a blank pocket in front of each new set of photos.

Slip a little labeling card in the pocket -- something to remind you and other viewers that these are moments from your second honeymoon in Hawaii or your niece's graduation party.

Slide the corresponding negatives into acid-free plastic negative sheets and keep in the back of the album or in a separate binder.

 

For easy access, keep all of your photo supplies near your albums and storage boxes.

If you use the family room bookshelves, for example, designate a shelf in the cabinet below to keep film, extra albums, scrapbooking materials, even camera equipment.

Use labeled plastic storage tubs and baskets to keep clutter contained.

Line a drawer of a desk, bureau, or flat file with acid-free, archival-quality cardboard for storing envelopes of photos and negatives just as you would in a photo box. A piano bench or chest also makes a handy storage unit.