What do I do with the photos on my phone?
Sunday 21 July 2024, 20:10 by Elvira Smit | 3,985 views | 8 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
I used to be careful with the 24 photos on a roll of film. Now I snap away with my iPhone, filling my archive with screenshots and rows of almost identical group photos. I've been trying to bring some order to this chaos for years. Here's how.
The biggest problem is actually this: the camera on my phone mainly makes visual notes. Such as a photo of a:
- tax letter (which I can throw away afterwards)
- claim tag (for my luggage at an airport)
- information sign next to a work of art
The first two are just in case, while I take the third photo because I want to remember it. But how, for goodness' sake?
1. I collect things that inspire me in one place
I like working in Notion, a free programme where I collect and organise all the information that's relevant to me. In Notion, I've created a board where I dump all my inspiration.
Every four months, I scroll through all the photos on my phone and pick out the images I took to inspire myself:
I then use that board when I think, 'Nothing nice is ever made.' Or, 'I have no inspiration.' Or simply because I'm bored.
You really don't need to master all of Notion right now to do the same thing. You can also collect these photos on your Miro board or, even more simply, create a separate album on your phone and put them in there.
2. I use my archive to share a memory
There's another category that fills up my archive: photos of me with friends or family. And lots of almost identical ones, because then there's bound to be a good one among them.
If a photo is lucky, it ends up in a WhatsApp group. But more often, nothing happens with it at all.
Never.
So sometimes I do this: I dive into the distant archives. These are the photos from years ago on my phone. They lead an insignificant existence on my computer.
Every six months, I pick out some funny photos with or of other people and share them with those involved. That way, I rekindle a memory for them too.
3. There are a lot of things I DON'T do
What I should really do, of course, is put the photo in the right folder as soon as I take it. Delete the failed group photos straight away. Add the holiday photos to Lightroom immediately.
But those intentions never last. I can get frustrated about that, or simply accept that my system consists of chaos with the occasional patch of order. And I'm getting better at that. It also helps to remind myself that all my photos will disappear anyway.
Finally, comedian Lachlan Patterson makes me realise once again what impact our photo habits will have on the generations after us. Another sobering image:
About the author
Ik heb een eigen fotografieblog, Kronkeling. Daar schrijf ik om de week twee artikelen. Over hoe je je blik kunt scherpen, je creativiteit kunt aanwakkeren, en over fotografen die mij inspireren. Geen technische zaken, wél over hoe je leert kijken. En dat blijkt nog een hele klus. Een mooi startpunt zijn de Kronkeltips, die vind je hier.
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8 comments
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Wim Snieder wrote on Tuesday 23 July 2024 at 21:54 | replyNice question: what should you do with all those photos on your phone?
Translated from Dutch.
1. Simply don't take so many photos. You didn't do that with film rolls in the past either. If you have to take so many, are you really a good photographer? I don't think so.
2. Put photos that are worth it (there are a lot that aren't) in a photo yearbook. Don't wait years to do that, but put them in within month for sure.
3. Throw away photos that aren't worth inclusion in the photo book and don't hesitate.
4. You forget these photos particularly quickly.
5. Helps excellently to clean up your photo archive. -
Elvira Smit
wrote on Wednesday 24 July 2024 at 10:49
| reply
@Wim Snieder: Well, I completely agree with you. It does indeed start with taking far too many photos AND not throwing them away...
Translated from Dutch.
Your list does require quite some discipline and willpower. It must be really nice if it comes so naturally to you, you can be proud of that! -
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Elvira Smit
wrote on Wednesday 24 July 2024 at 15:48
| reply
@Laura: Thank you for your compliment. And good point about those data centers, that's a consequence not nearly everyone is aware of.
Translated from Dutch. -
smartzine
wrote on Sunday 28 July 2024 at 17:02
| reply
An incentive to clean up your photo library is a limited data plan. My iCloud can hold 200GB, half of which consists of photos and videos. When the storage is almost full, I start deleting images again that once seemed good, but really aren't (anymore). And it always works
Translated from Dutch.
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Elvira Smit
wrote on Sunday 28 July 2024 at 19:47
| reply
@smartzine: That's a good tip! Thanks for sharing
Translated from Dutch.
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luc.vc@icloud.com wrote on Saturday 10 August 2024 at 13:49
| reply
Hi Elvira,
Translated from Dutch.
You are the only vlogger / photographer who sees photography as art, and not as: so many pixels, and that camera, and photos per second, and, and, and, ... as long as it sells.
Thank you for all the beautiful photos I have seen from you. But I think that 'the general public' does not understand your photos.
Cheers
Luc Vancamp -
Elvira Smit
wrote on Saturday 10 August 2024 at 14:45
| reply
@Luc: thanks for your compliment! And yes, there are probably people who don't understand my photos. I don't mind, I make them because they make me happy
Translated from Dutch.
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