Organizing Your Photographs Can Be A 'Snap'

Kristy Mathewson loves taking photos of her daughters, but her passion can pose a problem. She has too many photos and not enough room.

"[They're] on the cabinets, on the bed or on the kitchen counter for a long time," she says.

Professional organizer Barbara Hemphill says the place you keep your photos depends on why you are saving them. The ones you want to enjoy now should be accessible. The ones you want to save should go in a box. The bad ones, and we all take them, should be tossed.

"Many times we keep way too many, and I teach people the art of 'wastebasketry,'" she says.

Mathewson admits she throws away almost half of every roll, and she never orders the cheap or free double prints, which is another mistake many people make.

"You want to keep in mind that less, when it comes to photographs, can be a lot more," she says.

If you do order duplicates, give them to family and friends immediately. The best advice is to simply put your photos in containers based on major time blocks.

Hemphill says shoe boxes work well for photographs. She suggests keeping a box in the closet where you store photos AS you get them developed. Be sure to keep the lid open, so you are not tempted to stack something else on top of the box.