Your Photo Library: Cataloged vs. Organized
HOW APPLE PHOTOS IS LIKE DOROTHY’S RUBY SLIPPERS
When people call me to consult about organizing their photo collections, it’s almost always driven by a sense of overwhelm. Too many photos. Can’t find “that” picture. Nothing is where they expect it. Tired of scrolling.
Sometimes it’s just a sense that they’re not doing a good job of their picture stewardship. What would Marie Kondo say?
The first thing to understand is that Apple Photos is designed for the organizationally challenged. As are most photo management apps. That’s the point, after all. And understanding that will save you both unnecessary work and a bit of guilt.
Photos takes advantage of all the available data (i.e. metadata) baked into each image file to add it to all the relevant categories and collections in the Photos App. Simply by enabling location on the iPhone (or camera if it has GPS), having Date & Time on “Set Automatically,” and identifying relevant faces in People & Pets, you’ve created a solid foundation for a self-managed Library of your entire collection.
So out of the box you can find events by location, date, or attendee(s). People by People & Pets. Holidays by name, and situations by any object that Apple Photos can recognize.
That’s a lot to start with. With a little thought you can zero in on almost anything.
Which brings us to a key point about photo management and how changing one’s mindset about organizing can make all the difference.
“Organized” is a state of mind. Like “affordable” it’s a word with no clear metric that means different things to different people. It’s important to define what the means to you.
“Cataloged” is more discreet. It implies a clear strategy and “best practices” successfully applied. Cataloging applies context where there is none.
So it’s Cataloging that most people think about when they feel overwhelmed. That pictures all need a place. A spot. A Folder. An Album. And that the absence of that is inherently disorganized.
For those of us who grew up with locking 5 drawer filing cabinets, the subliminal pressure to find a spot may obscure the actual value of the task in a digital universe. Just as search engines did away with internet directories, photo search intelligence and A.I. is making top level folder creation unnecessary too. There’s no need to make a 2024 image album if typing “2024” into the Photos’ search field brings up all the same images.
And that’s the simplest example. If you go into Photos Search you’ll see some examples of more complex requests combining people with locations or circumstances and more. Search even saves recent searches for easy repeat.
The point is that in most cases, putting people on the right path - wait for it - is like Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers. They have the power without knowing it and just need a bit of guidance.
There are two things.
First, there is absolutely a place for Folders and Albums as curated photo collections to create a story or distill an event. Even though you can now tap on a recent Photos-generated Trip Collection and see all 250 images you took, you will want maybe 20-30 of those prepped for sharing, a screen saver, or photo book. The rest of those photos and videos can still play out in other ways that you may not realize for years. Which makes the point that even Albums can have a limited life span. Or live forever. Our libraries are a living document that grows and changes over time. As it should.
Which brings up the second thing. That there are 2 kinds of searches.
Historically, we always think of the Big Search. It’s creating your kid’s montage or graduation slideshow. It’s an anniversary book. It’s the portrait you want to print for your spouse. With the tools we now have, these tasks are simple with the right search protocols. Not instant, mind you, but a lot more instant than spending hours making dozens of Albums, adding Keywords, and otherwise cataloging your collection in anticipation of unclear future needs.
Where people really get frustrated, though, is the Quick Search. The social chat when you want to show off that picture of a new puppy or flower garden and get caught doomscrolling until the conversation moves on without you. Here again, Apple Photos has a remedy if you know how to play the game.
If you haven’t explored the newest changes to Apple Photos, it’s a great time to do so. You can go through all the new collections and familiarize yourself in about 10-15 minutes. Guaranteed, it will get you to think about how you really search for your photos and to avoid scrolling through the All Photos view.
I think you’ll find you are already more organized than you think.
If you are confused and struggling with the new Apple Photos layout on your iPhone, watch for my new Quick Course -
Find Your Photos Fast: Master the New Apple Photos on iPhone.
Coming in June.