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They're the heirlooms you'd save from a fire, so maybe it's time to “do” something with them... LOVE THIS! Lots of good hints. I am working on an estimated 3 year plan to get through the photos in my archive upstairs. Some are truly heirlooms. Others not so much. A really good tip I was given is to go through the modern photos and select the very best only for scanning. I like to ask myself, "would I pay money to have a copy of this photo?". It's amazing how many I can cull that way!

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Thanks Karla! I love that you have a 3 year plan. People often think this is a "weekend project" then get frustrated when they realize that it is much more work. I like your question - "would I pay money to have a copy of this photo?" - that is a great tip for culling.

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3 years. Because I have archives from my Dad, my Mom, my in-laws, my step-mom, and my own family. I also need time to also work on my legacy writing and logging. And I have a life... LOL.

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Great tip Karlas. One thing I've discovered in the past few years, that I didn't expect, is that some photos that aren't great, do have value if they trigger a particular memory, and perhaps its the only one you have of a person, event or something.

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I totally agree, if it is an "only" you definitely want to keep it. I have tripped over that situation many times with heirloom photos. Thankfully, and sometimes too abundantly, we have modern photos. If one of those is bad, I tend to write up the memory to save preserve the story.

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When I first started organizing photos professionally, we referred to the ABC'S of photo organizing, coined by Cathi Nelson, the founder of The Photo Mangers. The A stood for album worthy, B for box , ones to save, the C for can as in garbage can and the S for stories .. the photos that were one of a kind, told a story or sparked memories of a story. Developed for organizing physical photos, I apply the same idea to both physical and digital photos, though Album and Box may be the same in the digital world. Even with inexpensive digital storage now, what we keep for our legacy is still relevant.

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This is a terrifically comprehensive article. So serendipitous! I was in my basement closet today asking myself when I was going to start sorting my envelopes and boxes and albums of photos! Thank you for the fab tips!

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Hooray, we're so glad you liked it. Join Kathy in a couple of weeks on August 22 for the next episode of Kathy's Corner. You can also watch the whole series at projectkin.org/kathys-corner. Thank you so much, I hope to meet you there.

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Hi Henriette - so happy to hear this. It is a big task, but it can be done. And I know you have lots of stories to tell!

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