When Allison realized her parent’s family photo collection was a mix of dusty albums, prints in original photo processing envelopes, old negatives, and scattered digital files, she knew she needed professional help. She wanted her parents, who had recently retired, to be able to enjoy the memories and leave stories about the pictures for Allison and her sisters.

At first, she thought about costs; but she also didn’t want to risk losing irreplaceable memories to her parents who hadn’t touched the collection or put them in the hands of an inexperienced helper. Neither Allison or her siblings could or wanted to tackle the project.

Enter our certified photo organizer, Lynn. Allison discovered that not only could she bring expertise and efficiency, but there were also flexible ways to work together to manage costs by working together.

Allison's parents worked one-on-one with Lynn during the first phase of their project: four 5-hour sessions over two weeks. By collaborating, 20 hours of effort became 40, and their massive photo collection—over 15,000 prints—was decluttered and organized down to roughly 5,000, sorted by year and category into photo storage boxes.

Impressed with the results, Allison's parents hired us for phase two: digitizing their now

reduced and organized collection.

By choosing this two-phase plan tailored to their schedule and budget, the family was able to:

1. Save months of time they would have spent removing photos from albums and envelopes and sorting alone.
2. Reduce their collection to only the most cherished printed photos.
3. Ensure every photo—from fragile prints to oversized images—was professionally preserved, both physically and digitally.

The family realized that working in manageable sessions made professional organizing affordable and sustainable, without sacrificing quality. Plus, the work done by a professional who does this daily is much more efficient than that by someone less experienced.

Now they are ready to work on telling the stories from the pictures to create a family history and legacy.

Ask your Certified Photo Manager how you can make your goals a reality. Consider these questions if you're trying to stay within a firm budget for your project:

1. Is there prep work I can do in advance to make the project move more quickly?
2. Can I work side-by-side with you to expedite the process?
3. Is there guided "homework" I can do between sessions?
4. Can we complete the project in phases?
5. Can we spread the project out over several weeks or months to spread out payments?
6. What are the most budget-friendly box or album options that are still quality?
7. Can we pare down and only digitize a sub-set of the collection to pare down hours?

Whether it's sharing in the workload or spreading it out over time, there are many ways to approach a project cost-effectively!

Hiring a certified photo organizer isn’t just about paying for a service—it’s about investing in your family memories wisely. Flexible weekly, monthly, or quarterly plans make professional help accessible, efficient, and stress-free. Protect your memories today, one organized session at a time.

Make sure to visit The Photo Manager's online directory to find a certified professional where you live!