Digital Photos

I really like Teresa's idea about photographing signs and am going to start doing it! One thing I've already been doing is photograph posters showing the town layout; in many small towns or historic districts you can find a 4'x4' or so poster put up to show tourists around. Having that helps me place where the things in my other photos were relative to one another.

One thing I've done the past several trips is bring along a few sheets of paper and each day jot down some musings about places we've seen, things that happened, etc. These are brief sentences, then shortly after I return from the trip I type up the notes on my computer and the brief sentences are enough to bring back the memories. These notes tie well into the photos; So if I have a few pictures of a church I might not remember why we visited it, but my journal will remind me.

Wow!!! Thank you all for some great ideas. I love this...I ask and then receive, my trip will be more memorable. Thank you.

Ciao Ciao, Gina

I suspect that you'll get a few contradictory posts here as the "best" solution is really in the eye of the beholder. Basically you want some software that allows you to associate "tags" with the picture - basically the digital equivalent of getting a pen and writing some notes on the back of the photo. As long as you set the clock in your camera the pictures will pick up the time and date automatically.

If you have a modern version of MS Windows then the path of least resistance is to use the function built into the OS. Go into My Pictures, select the image(s) and you should see "Add a tag" at the bottom of the screen. You can then use the normal search function to pick out different tags. This is the method I use as I'm not really a bells and whistles kind of guy.

You can get different 3rd party software packages that basically provide the same tagging function with a flashier interface and more frills. Google's Picasa is quite good (and free), if you're into the Apple cult they have an iSomething too.

Certainly keeping the pictures in sequence or sequentially tagged is the key, I also augment this by reviewing pictures as I am sipping my evening wine and make notes in my journal on my wanderings for the day, and maybe a note or two about a picture that stands out. Saves trying to remember weeks later.

It's worth taking a photo of the entry sign (if there is one) to any attraction. Digital "film" is free, so it's not like you're wasting a shot. So take a pic of the sign that shows the name of the church you're about to enter (it probably also lists the opening hours and tariffs). Then you'll know that the photos which follow are of that particular church, and you can delete the sign picture later. If there's no sign, you can write the name on a piece of paper and take a photo of that. It's not foolproof, but I've found it helps me when all my church and museum photos start to look a bit alike!

Gina,

EXIF data will be attached by the Camera software to every photo, so at least you'll have some idea of the date and time that each picture was taken. Be sure to remember to reset the date and time on your Camera when you arrive in Europe (and again when you get home)!

Photo sorting in the new "digital age" is something I'm still working on (the old "shoe box method" is no good).

One method suggested by a Photography expert at a Workshop I attended is to go through the photos as soon as you get back to a PC (when your memory is "fresh") and rename them with tags that are more relevant to the photo (allowing for easier searching later on). For example, a photo of the Colosseum in Rome could be re-labelled 100615.01.Rome_Colosseum (first six digits are the date, then photo number in case there's more than one of a single subject and the last part is the description).

I've booked another Photography Workshop this year, so I may have better suggestions after attending that.

You'll have to find a method that works best for you.

Good luck and happy travels!

Just to follow along Teresa's line. I have been known to photo the page from the tour book or brochures that may be available for that site. I also tend to shoot street signs. And especially if there is a directional sign to the site that I want to see. A lot of times at the beginning of the day I will shoot a local newspaper showing the date. I know that digital photos are time stamped but the newspaper sometimes adds a little extra touch when displaying the pictures later. Also I carry the cable for connecting the camera to a TV, about every other day or so will spend some time knocking out the bad pictures.

I like your sign and newspaper idea, Frank.

Hi Gina. I do many of the things already suggested. I journal at the end of everyday with where I went that day & then when I get home, I can refer back to my journal if I forget where a picture was taken. I also immediately tag all the pictures when I get home...this can be a daunting task given that I took 7,000 photos on our last trip but if I don't do it soon after returning home, I'll forget in time. I also take pictures of the name of a place (a sign, plaque, etc.) especially if it's a more obscure place & that way, I'll know that the series of pictures taken after the one of the sign were taken there! I often photograph signs that give interesting information about the subject that I am photographing. For instance, if I come across a plaque that contains an interesting tid-bit I will take a picture of it. It helps "tell the story" later on & remind me of the significance of what I saw.

I reset my camera's clock when I arrive at my destination so that all of my pictures are day/time stamped accurately. This will also help me refer to the correct day in my journal if I'm trying to remember where a particular picture was taken.

I number my memory cards & keep them in a memory card organizer & I use them in order. When I get home, I upload them into my computer in the correct order. I also set my camera to continuously number my pictures so that the numbering doesn't start over on each card.

Have a wonderful time in Italy.