Ever taken so many photos you think-how and what am I going to do with these all? Well, after my trip to London this spring I felt that way, but with a bit of time and thinking I have come up with some solutions I thought might interest you. For some of you the easy solutions would be A-just print and scrapbook your favorites, B-print one or two and be done, C-print and scrapbook them all, D-nothing at all E-confusion and many plans but just not sure what to do… I wanted a scrapbook option that was manageable, an easy to view option and something affordable, containable and sort of easy to do.
First off... I have over 4500 photos to deal with... A fair chunk of change I would say! I spent a few days trying to come up with a solution that would help me easilyscrapbook them, and be viewed by anyone. Here is what I decided to do: first I will order and print them all as 4x4’s. Where do I find these? Shutterfly has a free online app,through this app I can get free unlimited 4x6 or 4x4 prints. Second – I will scrapbook of my favorite photos (favorites, how to even being???) and will include all my media and bits I collected along my trip. Third - I will make simple albums that hold 6x8 Snap page protectors and these simple photo- only -albums can be viewed for anyone who dares.Well, that sounds simple right? So really, here’s what that boils down to…
-4500 photos need to be sorted and uploaded into my Shutterfly account.
-4500 photos need to be ordered, paid for and then sorted again on arrival
-4500 photos need to be put into 6x8 page protectors -about $200 later I am ready to go!
-4500 photos need to be sorted into the “Favorite” album and “Simple” albums
Dealing with this manyphotos was going to be long, slow and impact my wallet and I want to use my time and money right and I know these things matter to everyone, so here is my journey…
To start-
I had just downloaded all my photos onto my computer. There was no order to my photos when I completed my download from my camera cards. So first, I sorted them by days. I planned to scrapbook day by day therefore I might as well have them pre-sorted this way. That took me a few days in itself because I went by Westminsterat least a dozen times and of course took at least 12 photos every time. Why would I not… ?Again as there was absolutely no order to my photo download, I spent some time looking at the photos to determine when I took the photo. Usually relying on the weather conditions to determine the date, (yes, it was sometimes sunny) or our clothing selection.I’d say “Oh-that was the 12x by Westminster on the 8th day. Ahh..that is where that photo goes...” Of course there were easier days, such as the castles and palaces, which were usually full day events. I amclearly meant for that world because months later and I still can tell Leeds from Hever… Ok! We are sorted…(and in doing so watched the entire Downtown Abbey series again)(ok not that long!!)
Ohh. It’s my baby... I see now I should have made better names for files.. LOL..ToL, gin 3=–Tower of London and Gin Tour Day 3...
Next: how to get all these photos onto Shutterfly. I have them on my computer but I needed it on my app ..No way my phone could handle 4500 pictures.. My phone can’t handle 100 photos.. What to do? Solution was to upload all my photos into my Shutterfly account (from laptop onto the website)and then I can access anywhere, including from my phone and thus with my app.... Needless to say that took a bit of time…
This was a small one!!
Now the easy part!! Once they were uploaded, every couple of weeks I would just order some
Ok= so yes Shutterfly is in the states and yes it costs shipping and exchange. With the dollar being a bit better right now, I can order 250 for roughly .20 a photo. Yes! I know Walmart is less but here are my reasons:
#1 I don’t love Walmart’s photo quality. I printed photos the other day and found them better than previous orders, but I was still not impressed. They are not my first pick on places to get prints, Costco being my number one choice. (see below explanation on Costco)
#2 I wanted 4x4. Why? Mysimple albums plan works better with this size. So all I’d have to do is order them and they’d show up 3 week later in pretty orange boxes ( the only time you will hear me say pretty and orange together) I again have to sort them and put them back into days.. And then I begin again ... more ordering and more waiting and more sorting.. This may seem like a lot of bother but really it is not. The longest part is uploading-after that it is easy peasy. Could I order them all at once... off course... but that bill seems a bit pricey for me. My plan is 2 orders a month..
Costco- This is my favorite placeto order prints from. I can order at home from my computer or I can order on my phone through the app anywhere. You can order as many as you want, and the account when you set it up is linked to your membership. You get an email when your photos are ready and you run in (close your eyes to all the door busters –ahh 2000 rolls of paper towel for 50$!! Right by the door) and you leave. If you spend a lot of time wanting 3x4’s I have an easy solution on how to get those printed at Costco too. I use Picasa to edit and play with my images and I can create a collage that is 2 photos and as I know Costco only prints 4x6 I put in 2 pictures and get.. 2-3x4’s!! If you want more info on Picasa let us know!! Picking them up, ( ignore the paper towel.. ignore the paper towel) is pretty easy –if you can get out without other shopping or Plan ahead and pick them up when are you going for the 2000 rolls of paper towel. The quality is fantastic and the price is always good and they often have sales on prints.
Second: Shutterfly, Snap Fish, Persnickety Prints
These online sites offer the most options in terms of different sizes. Pretty much any size they offer. Yes, they off course do 4x6. But for any odd shaped photos you may be wanting… These companies are the best.. Downside... They are all in the states and you will be paying shipping and exchange.Always keep that in mind. Most companies (have in my case here) free photo deals, or shipping discounts you can apply or coupons. If you sign up with them you will be able to get notified of free/deals/discounts they may be offering. However, for ease of ordering and for offering so many different solutions in printing- I love these online options! *if you want to try Snapfish sign up through our website!*
Third: printing at home and Selphy. This is a whole discussion and best suited for another blog post… WE will try to get this up soon…
For now, I continue on my journey of photo printing, uploading and sorting. I am about ½ done this project and have started on my Simple books too but again…That’s another day another blog post
Take care ladies!!! Print those photos!!!
Kathy