Frequently Asked Questions
WHY HIRE A PHOTO ORGANIZER?
Over a trillion photos are taken around the world each year and that number is climbing. People are feeling overwhelmed with their digital collections, as well as their boxes of printed photos as we straddle the printed and digital age of photography. As a result, the online photo business has exploded with companies vying for your attention and they are coming and going like crazy. In this climate, here is how a Professional Photo Organizer can add value:
· We can help you weed through the choices and determine the best solutions for you, whether it is how to organize, store, preserve or backup your collection or how to tell your story for your children, grandchildren or clients. We are forever learners and stay up on the latest trends and companies you can trust with your photos.
· Your time is valuable. In the time it takes for you to figure out how to get started, we can be well on our way to getting it done. We have tools and technology to make things go faster, and we are trained and experienced in the most efficient and effective photo organizing processes available on the market today.
· Photos are VERY personal and in this day and age, you need to be able to trust who has access to your photos and what they are doing with them. We know the pitfalls that people fall into. We work hard to earn your trust and are very selective about the partners we use and recommend to our clients.
· Your memories and stories are valuable. We spend our spare time learning about and creating interesting and powerful ways to tell your stories. As with many professionals, we have some cool tricks up our sleeves that we're dying to share with you!
· Bottom line…we can help you get it done. For so many of our clients, whether it’s the time or the technology, they are stuck. Some need us to take it off their hands and just do it and others need us to coach them through it. Either way…we set goals and we get it done.
What types of clients do you work with?
We love digital photo organizing and specialize in it, so we find that most of our clients have that need. Because we provide remote digital organizing services, our clients are from all over the country. We love to work with clients who have a lifetime of photos that they are ready to get organized and share.
Our clients love and value their memories and they are willing to invest in them. They aren’t looking for the least expensive option, but someone who truly cares about making sure that their family’s memories are preserved in a way that will take them into the next generation. Our clients trust us to provide the best solution to fit their needs.
Our Digital Photo Organizing Services
What is the difference between the Compass and the All-Inclusive packages?
In the All-Inclusive packages (both the All-Inclusive and the All-Inclusive Plus), we help you with everything from set-up to backup, including helping you select and implement a system and/or software for you to manage your photos going forward. This package includes consolidating your photos/videos from up to 10 devices or sources (maximum of 3 cloud services, e.g., iCloud, Google Photos, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc., and 3 Apple Photos/iPhoto libraries). Additional devices/sources can be added at a per device/source rate. The All-Inclusive packages are the full-service options and are the most popular choice.
The Compass package is for people who just need help consolidating all of their digital memories into one location. We will gather and consolidate up to 5 devices/sources (maximum of 2 cloud services and 2 Apple Photos/iPhoto libraries) onto an external hard drive in folders and sub-folders by device/source. Additional devices/sources can be added at a per device/source rate. We deliver it back to you on an external drive.
The Compass package is a good option for people that are mostly concerned about getting their memories backed up and less concerned about how organized they are; or, they are interested in a jumpstart to their project.
How long will the project take?
That depends on a few things, including the size and complexity (# and types of sources/devices) of your collection. Once we receive or get access to all of your devices/sources, it typically takes 4-8 weeks.
What if I don’t know how many pictures I have?
Most people don’t, so no worries. During the consolidation phase of the project, we’ll gather all of your photo/video files into one place to get the count. Before we move on to the deduplication phase of the project for the All-Inclusive clients, we will send you a breakdown of the numbers.
What is a source/device?
A source or device includes anywhere that your digital pictures are hanging out. This might include computers, external drives, flashdrives, photo CD/DVDs, memory cards, or cloud sites (e.g. Dropbox, iCloud, Google Photos, OneDrive). Each item is counted as one source. For example, if you have 5 photo CD/DVDs that is 5 sources.
As we take inventory of your collection, we encourage you to dig deep to grab everything now. While it’s tempting to say “I’ll just grab that later”, it makes it harder and adds time and complexity to your project because each time you add an additional source to your collection, you run the risk of having to deduplicate.
Want to save a little cash? Copy the photos from the individual sources (e.g. CD/DVDs, memory cards, flashdrives) on to 1 external drive, flashdrive, or onto your computer.
How much of my time do you need to organize my photos?
We’ll spend 1-2 hours during our initial assessment session, typically via Zoom. From there, we do the heavy lifting. We may contact you with a question here and there, but mostly, we’ve got you! At the end of the project, we’ll meet up for a 30 minute session via Zoom for the Compass clients and a 2-hour session for the All-Inclusive clients.
How should I prepare for the initial assessment session?
Prior to the session, we’ll send you a questionnaire that gets you started. This helps us to use our time really wisely during the session. If you get stuck, however, no worries! This first session is all about getting organized to start the project.
How do I know if I should try to organize my pictures myself using your DIY courses or if I should choose one of the Do-It-For-You packages?
This is a decision that only you can make.
You may want to consider one of the Do-It-For-You packages if…
you want your digital photos organized, but technology isn’t your jam
you don’t have or want to take the time…you kind of just want it done
you are prepared to make an investment in your memories in exchange for peace of mind and the joy of reliving those beautiful memories
The ‘Do it yourself’ route may be for you if…
you’ve been wanting to embark on this journey, but you need a process and guide
you're not afraid to dive into some technology with direction
you’re ready and self-motivated to get this project going
How can you organize my photos when you don’t know the people in them?
You would be surprised at the commonalities that exist in our photos. Because of this, we can set up systems and processes for anyone. With that said, we also spend time getting to know you, your family, your pets, etc. Our job is to expedite the process, help you focus, and set up systems that can easily be maintained going forward.
How do I maintain my collection once it’s organized?
We will provide a maintenance checklist to guide you in keeping things neat and tidy and we offer maintenance plans to help support you, especially in the first few months after we get your collection organized. If you get behind, no worries, just give us a call. We’ll talk more about maintenance options as we get closer to the completion of your project.
Our Printed Photo Organizing Services
Here is how our levels of printed photo organizing services compare:
For the DIYer, we offer an online course called The Photo Organizing Blueprint, which includes how to organize both your printed and digital photos, as well as a mini-course on ‘How to Sort your Printed Photos’. See our Courses page for more information on online course options.
Why hire Capture Your Photos to scan my photos?
There are several options for getting your photos scanned. Here is what CYP can offer you:
We're local
We use professional scanning equipment, providing you with a higher quality scan than you will get with your phone or home printer/scanner
We provide full-service care to your photos including basic color correction, renaming them (e.g. they won’t be named Scan84938938294847.jpg), and returning them in the same order as you delivered them. We also provide services such as removing them from albums (and returning them if need be), tagging them, dating them, setting up an online photo gallery for sharing, and creating slideshows. Our goal is to help you preserve them in a way that the next generation can know your story.
We save you time. Most DIY solutions are extremely time-consuming.
Our clients love the results and quality of our professional scanning services, the full-service aspect of our work, and value the time they save.
I HAVE many OLD VIDEOtapes OF MY KIDS. CAN YOU HELP ME TRANSFER them to SOMETHING so we can watch them? I DON'T EVEN OWN a VCR anymore!
We offer digitizing services to our All-Inclusive and Compass organizing clients and to clients with large collections. We transfer slides, videotapes, dvds, and film reels.
ARE YOU A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER?
No, while I love taking pictures, I specialize in helping you organize, preserve and share the lifetime of photos and memories that have already been captured.
