In the beginning, there was chaos

Since my daughter was born six years ago, I have printed very few photos. I have thousands and thousands of images living on my hard drive...and very few prints on my wall.

I own a photo lab. Not only do I own a photo lab, but I know how to use Photoshop; and the basics of many photo editing programs.

But I'm a mom. There is never enough time for "little projects" like organizing my family photos. And now this "little project" has become an overwhelming pile of photographs. Photographs that live only in my computer...not as prints we can flip through and enjoy on a Saturday afternoon.

I know I'm not the only mom like this. Yes, there are moms who are very organized. Moms who live to make a new display of photographs for their mantel, and refresh them at least once a year. I'd like to be that mom...but I'm not currently.

This blog is my journey from photo chaos to organization. I want my photos to be useable; printable; saved for generations to come...I want my kids to be able to flip back and see their 1st birthday party...or their 3rd...or their 5th...without my husband having to access various disks and hard drives. In this digital era, I want something I can snuggle up with; something to hold onto and call my own...and I also want a reliable backup, should something happen to my prints, so I can make new ones.

Where do I begin? From the beginning? From today, and move backwards?

What photo editing program(s) should I use to sift through thousands and thousands of images (the exact count, I'll save for the next blog post).

How do I print them? As individual 4x6s, or in a size that simply fits into a scrapbook page?

How do I display them on my wall?

Here's the deal: I know all of the answers to these questions (for the most part). Just like an overweight woman knows she needs to cut back on her calories and exercise more to lose weight...I know how to organize my photos. It just takes a plan. And diligence. And a little time.

So, here we begin the journey. And if you're like me...come along for the ride, and we'll make sense out of the chaos together.