Digital photography takes the cake as a hassle-free technology, but sometimes the sheer volume of pictures that accumulate can be overwhelming. (SHNS illustration by Hollie Sehrt)

By Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore
getbuttonedup.com

Jan. 15, 2007 — The beauty of digital photography is that you aren't afraid to "waste" any film, so you theoretically won't ever miss a great moment. On the flip side, that means you probably have a lot more photos to catalog and print now than you did with "old-fashioned" cameras. We bet that between Halloween, Thanksgiving and the holidays, your digital camera and photo files are bursting at the seams. Instead of letting them stack up willy-nilly on your computer, get them together so you can do what you wanted to do in the first place: show them off! Unlike old-fashioned film, doing so is easy, fast and often free.

Sarah on play to your strengths

Both my husband and I love to play photographer. But once the shots have been snapped, that's where our differences come in. I have tons of fun organizing photos and making online albums, but don't seem to have the patience to upload and touch up every single shot. Since my tech-savvy husband enjoys the initial setup work, once our camera is full, I just hand it off to him. After he gets the ball rolling, I take over where he leaves off. Not only does this tradeoff reduce the amount of time each of us will need to commit, it also keeps digital photography fun for both of us — as it should be!

Alicia on zapping the duds!

Digital photography takes the cake as a hassle-free technology, but sometimes the sheer volume of pictures that accumulate can be overwhelming. A lot of us still hang on to our old-fashioned habits of saving every picture, regardless of how awful it is. But there's no need to keep an unflattering image, an out-of-focus blur or that shot of your shoe that little Johnny snapped by accident. Don't be afraid to discard the duds! My husband and I try to delete bad ones on the spot, but if we can't decide in the moment, or don't have time, we do it as soon as the pictures are uploaded to the computer. Our rule is that only after the bad ones are weeded out can we select the ones we'll save for online albums and the ones that will make it to print.

Here are three ways to help you make the most out of your digital photos:

1. Pick a program.

   Whether it's iPhoto or Kodak Picture Viewer, test a few different photo-viewing programs until you find one that you really like. Then stick with it. It's much easier to keep track of all of your photos if they are in one place. You're also much more likely to keep them up to date and organized if you find the program to be intuitive and easy to use.

2. Share the fun.

   Sending photos via e-mail attachments can be can be a major time waster, and larger photo files are often stopped by e-mail filters anyway. So store them online instead. Most photo sites such as Flickr.com, KodakGallery.com and Sony.com let you store and create online albums for free. When you're ready to share them with friends and family, simply e-mail the link, and they will have easy access without ever having to sit through a never-ending download.

3. No need to DIY.

   Let the pros handle your digital printing for you. Online services such as Kodak, Sony, and even CVS let you upload your digital photos and print them for less money than it would initially cost for an old-fashioned roll of film, not to mention the cost of developing that roll of film. The best part: you don't even need to travel to pick them up. Often within a few business days, your printed photos are sent right to your front door, completely hassle free.

(The writers are cofounders of Buttoned Up, a company dedicated to helping stressed women get themselves organized. Send ideas and questions to yourlife@getbuttonedup.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)