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If you're anything like me, you have taken thousands of photos since you first purchased your digital camera. With print film I was limited to 24 or 36 images per roll but with a memory card I can take 100 pictures at a single event. I love it! I recently took my 6000th photo and I have my photos stored and organized on my external hard drive, burned to CD, and the current month's photos are on my lap top.
Essentially, you have several different options when it comes to storing your digital photos - memory cards, hard drives, CD/DVDs, and online storage.
Having an extra memory card on hand at all times is an easy way to store your digital images. When the current card is full, you just pop in a new memory card and keep snapping away. While this storage method is easy, it makes finding the photo you're looking for more difficult. You can create an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of your photos by entering the date the photo was taken or the name of the event, and the photo numbers.
For example:
September 2008/Charleston, SC DSCN 5977-6176
Downloading your digital photo files to your computer is another way to save and store your pictures. The downside to this is that if the computer crashes, your pictures crash with it. Digital pictures also take up a lot of memory and will make your computer run slower over time. Here's how to organize your digital photo files and folders on your computer: As soon as you download photos from your camera to the computer, store them in files labeled by the month and year (if the photos are general everyday shots) or label them by event, i.e. Michael's 14th Birthday, July 4th, 2008, etc.
Then, you can upload your favorite photos to an online photo sharing site and let friends and family know they're available for viewing. You can either use an online photo sharing site like www.snapfish.com and www.flickr.com or upload them to your own website or blog. This is a great way to share pictures without the hassle of sending them via email.
Another option is to burn a photo CD and label it (by the month and year or by event), and store it in an ongoing photo CD book. Burn an extra copy of your pictures and send to a friend or family member for safekeeping. You may also want to put a set of photo CDs in your safe deposit box. This option is inexpensive and you can easily copy and share your pictures with friends and family.
Photo books are a beautiful way to archive and share your photographs. You can make coffee table quality books of your images and add captions and stories and list the names of everyone in the shot. You can create books for events such as weddings, family reunions, holidays, birthdays, or by year at www.blurb.com and www.mypublisher.com .
Do you love the thought of handmade scrapbooks to preserve your photos for the future? Digital scrapbooking is gaining in popularity. You can create customized pages online and then have them printed and mailed to you for assembling into a traditional photo album at www.howfasttheygrow.com . This allows you to achieve spectacular results without the need for all the cutters, embellishments, papers, and know-how.
Remember photo prints? There's a simple solution for storing them digitally, too. Scan your original photos and burn them onto a CD or upload them to the web and share them like you would a digital photo.
Whichever method you choose to organize and store your photos, always save your favorite photos twice. I picked my external hard drive and CDs to keep my photos safe.
With a little bit of organization you can enjoy your digital photos for years to come. | 
Photo books are easier than ever to create yourself thanks to websites like Blurb. You can make cookbooks, business portfolios, children's books, picture books, coffee table books, a wedding album, a vacation book, or make a book about your Thanksgiving Day feast along with photos of the food and recipes so your family can host the event at their home next year! Unleash your imagination and create thoughtful holiday books as gifts this season.
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