Scrapbook Challenge

Cynthia, over at Life is Good, is trying to figure out the best way to get her digital photos off her camera & in to a workable format with the fewest steps on her PC. I'm sharing my photo work flow to help, but I have to admit to chuckling while I type that. I'm really not sure this is going to help at all Cynthia & it may just make your "Wacky Work flow" look not so wacky. ;-)

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I want to hear about your photography work flow. What steps do you take to get your pictures from your camera to your blog and/or photo album.

I try to download my photos frequently & almost always after an event. I want them off the camera quickly. When I download them, I add the date to the file name. This is something new. This way, when I move them for later reprinting/sharing, I won't run in to the "file the same" name thingie that plagued me at the beginning of using digital photos.

Here is what typically happens...

• Download photos on to PC. Hmmm, let me share my folder system first

I have folders that look like this.....

Lisa's

--Camera

---2008

-----monthly folders

------dates within the folders from whenever I took a photo even if it's just one for that day

Having said that...under "Camera" I also have reprint folders. For instance, there is a "2007-2008 School Folder." This means I had to search through ALL the folders for 2007-2008 that fell within the school year & find all the photos that I needed for reprinting that fit in that category.

Okay, before I get off on that tangent though...back to what I do with my first downloads...

• All photos from the camera downloaded in one go to the appropriate monthly folder
• New date folders set up for all the days downloaded (anywhere from one to five at times)
• Photos are dragged/dropped in to the new folders.
• Go in to each day folder & put view on to "filmstrip"
• Scroll through each photo & decide if I'm keeping it or not. Change orientation if need be so they all look right.
• Decide if any are going to be put on the blog. Open those using Microsoft Office Photo Manager (because it came with the computer)
• Edit - generally just compress the photos to use very little space on line (and deter anyone from taking them & reprinting them without permission)
• Save them using the labels "blog1, blog2, etc) for uploading to the blog

If I am going to be having them printed out, I generally use Snapfish. I go in to all my folders & find the ones I want to reprint. I put them in a new folder. Then I go through those & edit anything that needs editing...cropping, red eye removal, brightening, etc. Then they get uploading & ordered. I try not to do this until I'm ready to put them in to scrapbooks!

I should say that I own Creative Memories Memory Manager program. I know I need to start using this. I'm blushing to say that I bought it well over a year ago. I do finally have it uploaded on my PC but now I need to play with it. I SO need to get it going so I can have all my nifty sort boxes going so I don't waste so much time finding photos for projects.

I'm not sure this is going to help you at all, Cynthia, but it's helped me see what my next project will be! ;-)

2008 Scrapbook Challenge

The Challenge is to post a blog entry on your blog sharing how you manage your digital photos or to make a plan for managing your digital photos if you don't already have a plan or program.

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I never thought I would go digital, but a year or so ago my hubby bought me a little point & shoot Nikon. While I liked it, I didn't love it (still don't actually). But I do like the small size & that I can carry it around in my purse all the time without too much added bulk - I just wished it took better photos.

I have pretty much have started only using my digital. I occasionally haul out my film camera if I need a good zoom or I want really clear photos. As a result though, I now have a few hundred (maybe thousand) photos on my computer.

As for organizing, sorry Cynthia, this is not going to be of a huge help to you I'm sure. LOL

I currently use lots of folders. I have a year folder. Within each year folder I have month folders. (I do number them so they stay in order. For instance, I have 1-January, otherwise my computer puts them in alpha order & that annoys me.) Within each month folder I have day folders. Unless we have a special event where I've taken lots of photos, any photos taken on a specific day go in that folder. Otherwise they have the same date attached (for special events) & I label it.

When I pull photos to blog, I just double click & it brings up a very simple program that came with my PC called Microsoft Pictures. I every photo that goes on my blog. At the very least I compress it in size to fit on the web easier. For instance, I started my blogger account about three years ago now & I'm still only at 15% of my photo limit. All because I use compressed photos. When I save these photos, I just simply name them "blog1, blog2, etc). So yes, I have multiple folders with the same photos names - all related to my blog.

When I have photos printed, I will either start a new folder for them & move them all there. That way they are easily accessible when I'm uploading them to a photo site (typically Snapfish) for developing.

I'm in the midst of trying to decide where I want to go from here as well. I actually own the Creative Memories Photo Manager CD. I've had it for a few years & just recently actually loaded it to my PC. That's as far as I got. I like the sound of it for organizing, but I don't think it's an editing program per se - although how would I know - I still have yet to use it!

I do see the market swinging WAY far towards digital photos. In fact, the local supermarket where I shop on a weekly basis no longer is developing film. They have a little digital kiosk though. This has me mildly concerned since I do still use film - just not as much as I did before.

I know that at some point I'll need to invest in a good digital camera & software if I want to continue taking photos, but for now, I use what works.

My Simply Daybook

FOR TODAY September 2, 2008...

Outside My Window...

a beautiful, sunny, crisp, fall-like day

I am thinking...

of the things I need to accomplish today.

I am thankful for...

the fact that we live on our family homestead where we are truly blessed to raise our three sons with so much family so close by with so many shared resources.

From the kitchen...

the smell of baking bread. Yum!

I am wearing...

my favorite jean capris with a favorite blue flower shirt - no shoes.

I am creating...

my boys school portfolios for last year.

I am going...

to enjoy this day.

I am reading...

book #9 from the Left Behind series, The Desecration.

I am hoping...

for a fun & productive day.

I am hearing...

the babies babbling and the radio playing.

Around the house...

I'm enjoying the clean spaces I created yesterday.

One of my favorite things...

blogging. :-)

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:

start the little boys with soccer, start back to AWANA, and try to get our MOPS going for the new year. Phew!

Here is picture thought I am sharing... (I couldn't limit it to one today)

Bread raising & supper already cooking in the crock-pot. Yum!

This post is a day late simply because I continue to believe today is Monday. Monday holidays always mess me up. It was wonderful to have my hubby home yesterday though. ;-)

2007 Scrapbook Challenge

Yes, I know it's 2008 but sometimes it takes a bit of time to finish up all the loose ends in life. Cynthia over at Life is Good held a scrapbook challenge last year. The challenge was to organize scrapbooking "stuff." I chose to do the area in my house that I store stuff. You can click here to see the before and here to see the after.

I know I need the challenge again & it's actually on my "to do" list If I remember I'll take some photos of what it looks like now & hopefully I can cut down what I own so I don't have so much to mess up. ;-)

Thanks, Cynthia for hosting this challenge! I look forward to the new one!!!

Scrapbooking Challenge: Completed!

I'm going to just admit to finishing this up a few days late. I did have most of it done in the month of July, but I called it complete today. Click here to see the before photos.

And now a drum roll please...............AFTER!

I moved a lot of collectible stuff that was really just collecting dust off that blue shelf & now all the boxes of my negatives are up there. I don't need to get at them & this will give me some time to decide what I'm going to do with them. I threw out a ton years ago so I'm not opposed to that, but I need to go through this most recent batch & decide what is kept & what isn't.

I didn't complete everything I wanted to do for this organizing challenge either. I did do all of the visible stuff, but I wanted to sort out the drawers as well. There are two dressers here. The darker one holds my clothes. The lighter one with green around it holds only scrapbooking stuff. I need to go through & pull stuff I'm not going to use. I've done this before as well & it was a huge undertaking, but it's time to simplify once more.

Scrapbooking Challenge

Cynthia has proposed a scrapbooking challenge. A good way to motivate me to keep going! I've seen to have lost my spark with it all. I don't think I'm totally done with it all, but I've certainly lost my complete motivation. I get together monthly with my sister & another great friend of mine to work. We typically spend 12 hours scrapbooking. I could just sit & visit & not miss the scrapbooking part lately. This from the woman who used to go to any & all crops to work on her books. I was a Creative Memories consultant for a bit even when I first started out. I've been scrapbooking since my oldest son was 18 months old & he turns 11 next month. I used to read and subscribe to many magazines about the subject & I was in many Yahoo groups as well. I lived & breathed it or so it seemed.

However, in the last few months I've slowed down. I'm re-evaluating. I've cancelled my subscriptions but I still will buy one from time to time when I see it in a store. I still get together every month with my sister & my friend. However, I wonder at times if I could walk away?

So this challenge will hopefully help me get my groove back so to speak.

The first challenge is to organize. The photos below are where I store most of my scrapbooking stuff. I have two dressers on my side of the room. One holds my clothes & the other scrapbooking supplies. I've been working on weeding stuff out but it's still full. Plus you can see all that lovely overflow stored on top! Yikes! I even had my hubby install those shelves for me when we first moved in - specifically for my scapbooking stuff! Most of the stuff up there are photos, negatives, and albums waiting to be filled.

So - I'm going to work on getting this organized. My oldest son has a dresser that really doesn't work for him. The draws don't seem to be really deep so I'm going to switch out the dressers with him.

Maybe this week - maybe not - hopefully soon!