Sorting Through 300,000 Photos

A digital archive project.

This week, I was listening to a podcast featuring a photographer who was in the midst of sorting through thousands of negatives, and it motivated me to start cleaning up my own archive of images. My digital photo collection is truly vast—over 300,000 images in my Lightroom catalog—and while it’s relatively organized, the sheer volume is slightly overwhelming. I don’t want to leave an unwieldy mess for my kids, who would have no way of finding the truly worthwhile photographs buried in all those files.

I’ve also been thinking about the value of revisiting old images. How many hidden gems are sitting in my archives, unseen for years, I wonder? With that in mind, I’ve begun a deep clean—going through my catalog one folder at a time, deleting the junk, and properly tagging the images that remain. I’m adding keywords, locations, and tagging the faces of people in my photos, making everything easier to find in the future.

As part of this effort, I’m also uploading my best photos to new, streamlined albums on Flickr and geotagging them. And yesterday, I started exploring My Family Archive (formerly Collectionaire). This app allows you to build a family tree and create timelines for each person, linking to photos and videos housed elsewhere. I’ve begun constructing my own timeline, integrating photos from Flickr and videos from Vimeo. So far, it’s been addictive! I struggle with sitting down to write long narratives, but adding life events incrementally, with small blurbs, feels manageable and even fun. I’ve only uploaded a few albums so far, but already the memories are flooding back.

A peek at what my page on My Family Archive looks like....

This project doesn’t have a deadline—it will likely be ongoing for years. But I’m reminding myself that every step forward makes my archive more navigable and meaningful. A year ago, at my daughter’s request, I privatized all my Flickr photos so they’re only viewable by Friends and Family contacts. My Family Archive page will likely follow the same approach, though I’ll adjust as I go. That said, I’ve been thinking about making some of my neighborhood photos public again.

There’s a revitalization effort happening in my town, and out of curiosity, I started searching for archival photos of the area. To my surprise, there weren’t many! I take a lot of pictures on my walks with my dog—mundane scenes of streets, houses, and everyday life. They might not seem significant now, but in the future, someone might find them valuable as a record of what life looked like in the 2020s. So, I think I’ll likely make some of these albums public on Flickr, to contribute to the visual history of my community.

One thing I appreciate about Flickr—despite lacking the bells and whistles of Instagram—is how it prioritizes the historical value of photos. Are any of you still on there? I’d love to see a resurgence in its use. The groups used to be so much fun! In fact, I really credit Flickr with where I learned how to use a DSLR – studying EXIF data from images I liked and figuring out how to replicate the technique.

I’ve been diligent about printing my favorite photos into a book at the end of each year—a practice I started when Lila was born in 2011. But I’m excited about creating a well-organized, easy-to-navigate digital archive, ensuring that my family’s memories are accessible for generations to come.

Do any of you have a web-based family archive? I’d love to hear how you’re preserving your photos and stories!

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Some fun links this week:

I binge watched Adolescence on Netflix last weekend. Holy crow – some amazing performances (especially Stephen Graham who plays the father, wow) – and the filmmaking was just phenomenal. Four hour-long one-ers (a scene shot in one take, no cuts)! Like each entire episode is shot in one take! Unbelievable. The amount of planning and choreography that must have gone into that blows my mind – here’s a little behind the scenes short about the filming.

I rewatched Bill Cunningham New York earlier this week. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time. Bill is just so likeable, and I love seeing the Carnegie Hall living spaces. I am so sad that they are not in use anymore. So many of the best bits of old NYC have been lost over the past couple of decades.

I am a big fan of Sage Sohier’s work – I really enjoyed this interview with her.

Is anyone else obsessed with reading TV recaps? I love reading the recaps on Vulture of whatever I’ve just watched right before I go to bed. Right now its all about The White Lotus and Severance (I haven’t finished season 2 yet, so no spoilers!).