Image Archive: Storage and Management

This whole image-managing stuff started with the need to organize some photos a show entry.

When I got a new laptop computer earlier this year, I kept the bulk of my work slides on the old Mac G4. "I'll just leave them there and pick out what I need when I need to." I told myself.

And it worked just fine--for a while.

Then I took some new work pictures. So, the questions came up: Do I load them into the old G4? Put them in the new laptop? How will I keep track of what's new and where?

Makes more sense to put them in the new computer for easier access, right?......... I needed to take a new look at how they were organized into categories and folders. Maybe I could rearrange them in a better way.

I made new folders labeled "Teapots, Drinking Vessels, Plates and Platters, Sculpture, 2-Dimentional", etc., sorted the old jpegs, attached them to emails and sent them in groups of 3 to the new computer.

This works because I have two email accounts. I can send using one email account from my local provider to the other email account. Though I'm guessing it could work using the same address for both (?) because the two computers have different numerical addresses. (This is the method I used to transfer as-needed digitals anyway, so now I will only do it once and have a better sorting system to boot.) Beside that, I'll keep the old library on the old G4 as one form of back-up.

I also made backup files and burned them onto disks for additional insurance in case the old G4 decides to go BJORK. I used a special pen for notation on disks, but I don't t like writing directly on the the backside. Just to be safe, I write the information I need to know on the clear, inner part of the disk. Noting the date is also a good idea--month and year will do.

I only use Read/Write discs just in case I want to rearrange things or need to add new images to the back-ups. (Haven't tried to do this yet, but it sounds like a good idea, anyway.)

Then, I began to think about all the old slides I had in binders........

and old family slides........