A Pocket Full of Memories

Looking back at 2019, I call this image, “the sign of the times.” A simple snap showing how photography has evolved to become a memory book in every pocket.

I know that I take lots and lots of pictures, many I do not keep. . . anymore.

I’m finding loads and loads of stored images with no names or keywords. Many are from when I first started shooting digital. Back then I didn’t understand the concept that digital devices would be ever increasing file sizes which would eventually consume hard drives as pixel depth and resolution improved.

I didn’t realize how critical it would become to name the files, either.

Here’s a few tips to keep your folders under control.

File by month:
- For July

No matter how “artsy” they look, I toss the blurry, the grainy, the 20 repeats, the dark hard to see images and keep that one best shot that keeps the memory activated or puts a time stamp on the culture du jour. It gives my brain space to fill in the blanks. It gives my disk space more freedom. And best of all, it saves anguish when I pull out my phone to show my friend a picture without having to rifle through 4 or 5 hundred to get to the one I had in mind.

Every time January comes around it tends to remind us “out with the old” and make room for the new.I suspect many others also have a photo app full of neglected images.