We are now working on a Family Photographs Project.
Phase 1
This involves the tedious process of collecting together all of our digital photographs from our two desktop computers, one laptop computer, cell phones, OneDrive, tablets, CD collections, and four external hard disk drives.
We ended up gathering together 58,000 digital photographs into 450 Folders and using up 156 GB of external hard disk drive space. I did some rough organizing, file renaming, weeding duplicate folders, and placing them all in one Folder (named "Photographs of BKG and MPG") on one Seagate 5Tb external hard disk drive. Then, I backed up this one Folder on all the other three external hard disk drives.
A lifetime of our personal digital photographs-- now all safe in one place, roughly organized by year, with backups. I am sure we will add a few stray Folders of digital photos from the past, and our family or friends might add some other older digital photos.
Also, now there is a new storage home for all the digital photographs that we will be adding after January of 2022. Using my Canon SX740 digital camera, I intend to compose and transfer many more thousands of photographs before I die.
I am studying two books on this new software. First, the book by Scott Kelby titled "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 2021". I am following his instructions. This 'Lightroom' book is very informative and useful to me. Second, the book by Rob Sylvan titled "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic For Dummies 2019."
I've always enjoyed working with database software and databases (manual and electronic) since 1963. I used Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel and other database software many times in my professional employment.
My first import into Lightroom was with 10 Test Folders so as to learn how to use Lightroom for Importing and doing basic classification and cataloging markup after importing a Folder. I am taking my time. I imported just one Test Folder, and then learned how to do classificatory mark up on individual photos or on larger groups of photos using keywords, search terms, signature presets, special collections, presets, rating flags, etc. Plenty more to learn about Importing and using many other Lightroom functions in the Library Mode.
Then, one by one, I will import into Lightroom the 450 Folders in "Photographs of BKG and MPG" and do the markup for each Folder. Gradually, during February of 2022, I will complete the importation of all the 450 Folders containing 58,000 digital photographs.
As a former professional Librarian for over 40 years, I find Lightroom to be a very good tool for the database management of digital graphic images.
Our digital cameras, mostly Canon, over the decades, output digital files in the .jpeg format. Lightroom can easily handle a wide variety of digital formats.
Phase 2
In late January of 2022, we set up two portable tables with chairs in front of the fireplace in our larger TV/Reading room. We placed our HP laptop and the new photo scanner on the tables.
Then, we began the slow and tedious process of gathering together all our old paper photographs, both black and white photos, as well as color photos. The old paper photographs were found in boxes, photo albums, drawers, plastic cases, on bookshelves, and in file cabinets. They were found inside the house, the garage, the attic, the closets.
We scan all the paper photographs with the Plustek Photo Scanner. We are both very satisfied with the speed and ease of use in scanning, the quality of pictures scanned, the numerous software options, and its file handling. It can output scanned files in .jpeg and other digital formats.
A few of the best or treasured old paper photographs are kept, some of the best are sorted out and given to family members or friends, and many are tossed into the trash can for the landfill. All are scanned!
These paper photographic images are now all digitalized. Later, if needed, an images or group of images can be tweaked for digitalized quality or artistic improvements using Lightroom or Photoshop.
Folders of the scanned paper photographs are then Imported into Lightroom and roughly classified or quality rated.
Phase 3
Gather together all our photographic slides.
Scan all these slides into new Folders.
Import into Lightroom the digitalized images of slides in the Folders.
We will be using the Kodak Slide and Scan hardware and software for scanning color slides.
Hardware and Software
In our home in suburban Vancouver, Washington, we have two small bedrooms each converted into a home Office and reading room. Sometimes, on many cold days, to reduce our electric consumption, we only heat these two Office rooms. Each of us has their own cozy den for reading, napping, electronic connectivity, and entertainment. And, each of these rooms have a Dell desktop and other connected electronic equipment and gear. Mostly old equipment, but working fine. We have Comcast XFinity for Internet and telephone and umpteen channels.
We are both using an old "renewed" HP Desktop Elitebook 8470p Laptop, Core i5 3320 m 2.6ghz - 8GB DDR3, 128 GB SSD, DVDRW, Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit. $260, renewed, recycled, saved, or rescued. Basically, an old dog of a heavy computer. It seems to be passing all my tests of performance, e.g., checked CDRW and audio today. My little puny ASUS laptop died two weeks ago. I use a Seagate 4Tb external hard disk drive.
Paper photographs Scanner: Plustek Photo Scanner. Ephoto Z300, scan 4x6 photo in 2 seconds. It includes three software applications: scanner mode, picture quality editing and cropping mode, and file manager mode. $215. We are both very satisfied with the ease of use, quality of pictures scanned, software options, file handling.
Digital Photo Viewer Portable: Aluratek 10" digital photo frame w/4GB built in memory, USB SD/SDHC support, $85.00. A nice gift for somebody special - including selected photographs that you have taken of them.
I keep my Notes About Photography in a hypertext notebook.
I pay for using Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop, $10 a month.
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