- 1. Unflattering Angles
- 2. Closed Eyes, Awkward Expressions
- 3. Blurry or Out of Focus
- 4. Poor Lighting
- 5. Poor Quality Duplicates
- 6. Redundant Duplicates
- 7. Accidental Shots
- 8. Overexposed or Underexposed
- 9. Finger Over Camera Lens
- 10. Poor Composition
- 11. Low Emotional Value
- 12. Unimportant, Unwanted, or Unknown Subjects
- Conclusion
Smartphones make it super easy to end up with thousands of photos on our devices. And don’t forget about those physical copies tucked away in boxes.
Capturing memories is important. Yet, keeping every single picture can clutter your photo library and storage spaces. This makes it tough to find the ones that matter.
Searching through digital files or stacks of prints causes unnecessary stress and frustration. Managing both your digital and physical photo collections is key. It frees up space and simplifies your digital and physical life.
This guide will help you declutter by identifying the 12 types of images to toss, delete, or discard today.
1. Unflattering Angles
Have you ever had your picture taken by a child or someone much shorter than you? How many chins did you have?
Photos taken from unflattering angles can be discarded unless:
2. Closed Eyes, Awkward Expressions
We’ve all taken photos where someone blinks, makes an unintentional face, or sneezes. It ruins that perfect shot.
Here’s an example:
Before having her picture taken, my grandmother always counted to three. The task of saying, “Ready? 1… 2… 3… SMILE!” belongs to the individual behind the camera. No matter, my dear grandmother seemed to enjoy participating.
When I organized and curated my family’s printed photo collection, there were dozens of pictures of my grandmother saying the word “two.”
Say “two” aloud and see the shape of your mouth. Is that an expression you’d like to freeze in time for future generations to remember you by? Doubtful.
Fill your photo album with shots where everyone is smiling and looking their best. Discard the rest. Less is truly more as you preserve only the best moments to look back on and share with others.
3. Blurry or Out of Focus
If the main subject of your photo is blurry or out of focus, it’s a bad picture. If there are multiple people in the shot and one of them is blurry, it’s a bad picture. Even if you look adorable.
Anyone browsing through your pictures disregards them. Photo albums with these pictures lessen the overall quality. Clear, sharp images are always preferable.
4. Poor Lighting
Good lighting can change how a photo looks. It grabs your viewer’s attention by:
Photos that are too dark, too bright, or have harsh shadows often miss important details. This makes the subject unclear and the image less appealing. These are images to toss.
5. Poor Quality Duplicates
If you have multiple copies of the same photo, keep the best quality one and toss the rest. This will reduce photo clutter by making sure you only have the highest quality images.
Example: When I was in elementary school, my family visited New York City. Between my two sisters and I, we had 40-50 pictures of the Statue of Liberty.
We had pictures from every possible perspective. And you know what? Those pictures are super boring.
The last thing you want when looking through a photo album is page after page of the exact same subject.
When you take multiple shots of the same scene, choose the best 1-2 photos, and discard the rest. This will save space and make your collection more manageable.
6. Redundant Duplicates
These can be tough to remove, especially when your subject looks great. However, sometimes you photograph a subject that nails it every time.
Ask yourself, exactly how many of these scenes do I need? Does having more than one shot add to or take away from my collection?
7. Accidental Shots
We all have those random photos of the ground, sky, or inside of a pants pocket.
While these can be extremely entertaining at times, these accidental shots add no value to your collection.
8. Overexposed or Underexposed
Photos with extreme exposure issues will either look far too bright or very dark.
Discard these images and focus on those with balanced exposure. Balanced exposure is appealing to the eye and keeps details sharp and clear.
9. Finger Over Camera Lens
It happens to the best of us—a finger or object covering part of the lens.
These photos are usually beyond saving. That is, unless your subject isn’t blocked. In this case, you may be able to crop out your digit and save the photo.
10. Poor Composition
If the main subject is awkwardly positioned it lessens the quality of the picture.
For instance, imagine you are trying to cram a group of kids around a Christmas tree, but to capture all the kids and the tree itself, you accidentally cut out half of your niece from the picture.
No matter if all the other kids are smiling like angels, that picture is trash.
11. Low Emotional Value
This one seems easy, but if an image doesn’t evoke any emotions, it’s probably not worth keeping. Each photo should spark a memory, a story, or at least make you smile!
Focus your collection on the photos that make you feel something. For instance, the picture above may just look like a fancy milkshake. To me, however, it reminds me of a particularly wonderful day with my family.
12. Unimportant, Unwanted, or Unknown Subjects
Fill your photo collection with people and places you can name. Get rid of photos that don’t matter anymore. Like pics of ex-partners or from past events. Trash or delete these to keep your collection fresh and meaningful.
If you can’t identify certain people or places, they aren’t significant. Consider discarding these to streamline your collection.
Finally, if displaying the pictures from your sister’s fourth wedding bugs her fifth husband, then get rid of them. Photos that won’t be relevant again shouldn’t be in your collection.
Conclusion
A photo collection can be both fun and frustrating. When you select meaningful images and toss the rest, you can create a collection that’s packed with significance.
Getting rid of poor-quality duplicates, unflattering angles, and photos of people you don’t remember helps streamline your collection. The goal is for each photo to tell a story.
Many find the task of sorting and discarding photos overwhelming. Others simply don’t have the time to dedicate to this process.
If that sounds like you, I encourage you to contact a professional photo organizer, like Image Archive Pro. We can assist in curating your collection, ensuring that each image in your collection is meaningful and well organized.
Contact us today to discover how we can take the stress out of photo management. We will save you time as well as show you how to preserve your collection.
Interested in a free photo consultation? Click the button below to book today!