How to organise your photographs shouldn’t be the nightmare it often feels like. There’s a moment in every photographer’s journey when their photo library becomes a digital wilderness: thousands of unnamed files sprawled across folders named “Untitled_01” and “New Folder (3).” For some, the panic of finding that one shot from three years ago in a sea of “DSC_001” files is enough to spark an existential crisis.
As someone who’s spent two decades balancing film and digital workflows, let me share five essential practices for taming the chaos. It’s not just about organization—it’s about preserving the joy of photography itself.
1. Start Fresh Every Year
Some people scrapbook their lives; I create a new Lightroom library every January.
This isn’t just housekeeping—it’s a mental reset. A new library symbolizes a new chapter, allowing me to focus on this year’s creative goals without dragging along the ghosts of last year’s edits. Lightroom can handle large libraries, sure, but bloated catalogs slow things down, both literally and creatively.
A fresh library means faster searches, cleaner metadata, and a chance to reevaluate how I work. Don’t worry about losing access to past photos—keep older libraries archived and neatly labeled. Think of it as shelving a book you’ve already read so your desk has room for the one you’re writing now.
2. Your Folders Should Be as Intuitive as a Street Map
Folder structures are like road signs—they need to tell you where you are and where to go at a glance. My system is simple but effective:
Type – Subject – Month Number – Month
Here’s how it looks:
- Portrait – Steve – 10 – Oct
- Event – Melbourne Cup – 03 – Mar
- Film – IlfordHP5 – 07 – Jul
This taxonomy keeps everything searchable. When I want to revisit a specific shoot, I’m not wandering down digital rabbit holes; I know exactly where to look.
Pro tip: Stay consistent. Whether you’re shooting family birthday parties or high-profile events, the system works if it’s universal. If you’re using a different program, adapt the structure to its strengths, but don’t overcomplicate it.
3. Name Your Files Like a Librarian With OCD
In film photography, rolls are numbered, dated, and stored methodically. Why abandon that discipline in digital? A good file name is a roadmap to an image’s history.
Here’s my go-to format:
Kodak-Portra400-35mm-Dec2024-01-001
What does this mean?
- Kodak-Portra400: The film stock.
- 35mm: Format.
- Dec2024: Month and year.
- 01: Roll number.
- 001: Image number.
This approach isn’t just nostalgic—it’s practical. A filename like “DSC_482” tells you nothing. By embedding the story into the file name, you can reconstruct a photo’s context without opening it. Even for digital-only work, adopt a similar naming scheme. A good file name saves you hours of searching later.
4. Star Your Favorites, Then Step Away
Editing your photos right after a shoot is like grocery shopping when you’re starving—you’ll overcommit. The solution? The two-step cull.
- On import, quickly scan and star your favorites. Don’t think too much; this is a gut-level process.
- Then step away. Let the excitement fade, and return in a day or two with fresh eyes.
Why? Emotional distance breeds clarity. Photos that initially felt like the one may reveal themselves as mediocre, while quieter images often emerge as gems. This method also makes the editing process feel less daunting—you’ve already trimmed the fat.
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5. Back Up Like a Paranoid Archivist
I’ll admit it: I’ve lived through the heartbreak of lost files. Early in my career, mentors would warn me to keep my negatives safe in case of fire. No one, however, mentioned backing up my digital files. Cue my first hard drive failure—and the gut-wrenching realization that years of work were gone.
Now, I back up like my life depends on it. Here’s my rule: three copies, two locations, one offsite.
- Primary Drive: Where the work happens.
- Backup Drive: At home but separate from the primary.
- Cloud Storage: In case both physical drives fail.
Hard drives are affordable; memories are priceless. Don’t let them disappear into the void.
The Big Picture
These five practices—annual libraries, intuitive folders, meaningful filenames, thoughtful culling, and obsessive backups—are my foundation. Whether you’re a professional photographer or a hobbyist, these methods can be adapted to any software, any style, any workflow.
Why does it matter? Because photography is storytelling, and stories deserve to be preserved with care. When your library is a joy to navigate, you’re free to focus on the magic of making images—not searching for them.
And isn’t that why we do this in the first place?
