Man, who’s that chubby kiddo on the tire swing? Oh wait, that’s me. And yes, that’s also my photo collection, friends. Is anyone else taking a trip down memory lane of late? With all the craziness in the world right now, I’ve become super clear about what’s most important, and friends and family memories top the list.
I know, I’m old school. Millennials be like, printed photo collection? But friends, I love my printed photos as much as I love old records and rainbow glass, my Trapper Keeper, and my box of notes from high school. These are the last remnants of my favorite memories and there’s just something special about those memories. But the endless piles, nonsensical bins, and old school albums met their match in this pro organizer.
Although my printed collection was organized several years ago, I recently inherited a few more boxes from a family member and I can’t wait to get them into my spanking new archival boxes. Yellowed albums and sticky garage photos no more!
This month we’re celebrating memories and all things photo organizing, so follow along all month. And since inquiring minds want to know, we’ve launched these archival photo boxes in our shop! Follow along with the aid of my book or this post to guide your photo organizing journey. To get you started, here are 15 things to let go of now:
15 Things to Let Go of Now: Photo Organizing Edition
1. Duplicates
Keep only the best version of each photo to streamline your collection and reduce overwhelm.
2. Bad or blurry photos
If it’s unclear or unintentional, it’s not worth the storage—let it go.
3. Similar photos
Choose your favorite from lookalike shots and ditch the rest to avoid visual clutter.
4. Unflattering photos
You’re curating your story—not every awkward angle needs to be preserved.
5. Yellowing albums
Remove photos from degrading albums that could damage your memories over time.
6. Mismatched albums
Let go of storage that’s not working or cohesive to make your collection feel intentional.
7. Envelopes
Toss those bulky photo lab envelopes that only take up space and hide the good stuff.
8. People you don’t know
If the faces don’t spark recognition or joy, they don’t need to stay.
9. Bad memory photos
You don’t have to keep pictures that bring back pain—release them with care.
10. Redundant locations
Multiple shots of the same scene? Keep one that best captures the feeling.
11. Unidentifiable scenery
If you can’t remember where it was or why it mattered, it’s safe to part ways.
12. Unused film
Unless you’re planning to develop it, undeveloped film is just taking up space.
13. Old cameras you won’t use
Donate or recycle outdated gear that no longer fits your lifestyle or tech needs.
14. Negatives
If they’ve already been digitized or printed, it’s okay to let the originals go.
15. Excuses
The stories that keep you stuck in clutter can be released—you’re ready to move forward.
For more photo and archival goodies, check out the Simply Spaced Shop and Favorite Photo products in our Amazon shop, and don’t forget to grab a copy of my book with a special chapter on photo organization.
What is the best scanner for photo organizing?
this article was the push i needed to get my collection together. i came across your archival boxes on pinterest the other night… and am digging the look of them. thanks for this well written piece.
Awesome! Thank you for sharing Liz. So happy to hear it. We love that and thank you to Pinterest. I’m really happy to hear it is directing people over to our site. We just started posting there more regularly. xx
Gracias por las recomendaciones. Cuesta soltar, pero es un camino de ida. LAs fotos y recuerdos, para mi, son materialmente hablando muy importante, y deseo cuidarlos y conservarlos.
Te dejo saludos, y si… te encontré por Pinterest también.
Saludos desde Paraná (E. Ríos) Argentina
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