How do you file your images?

[jennym]

I'm interested to know how people file their images. I've been numbering mine in date order and storing details on an access database, with the transparencies kept in boxes. But I have now switched to a mac which is not so good for using access, and having them in a box does not make for easy viewing if I want to flick through them. I'm wondering whether to re-file them, possibly by location, in sheets where I can view them more easily. But I'm not sure how that will work. Does anyone have a good system going?

Many thanks,

Jenny

[Nigels]

I simply number all my shots incrementally and record all the details in an Excel workbook. With Excel I can do sorting, searches and filtering on any of the details. I also use the info to format print labels and page labels for the clearfiles that the film is stored in. In the details in the spreadsheet I also hold the file and page so that once found in the spreadsheet I can quickly locate it in the file.
Its a subject based very much on pernonal preference but the above works well for me. I did want to go down the access route but I think Access needs to be designed whereas Excel is really quick to create a system and evolve it as you go.
Hope that helps.

[dave_whatever]

I stick them in a filing cabinet in roughly the order they are developed, scan a few of the best from each batch, and hope that in future I'll have the impetus to do something more organised with them.

[dennis]

Medium format in A4 view sheets, used these for submissions to photo libraries, filed in numerical order 01-99Atran number, B etc & backed up on cards. Has always worked fine & my wife could remember enough to be able to answer most phone enquiries without ref to cards! Large format in individual envelopes, numerical order 45--- or 108---, backed up card index. Never had enough time to to put on computer & cannot be bothered now. Dennis.

[zoikes]

I think low resolution scans in lightroom or aperture would work well (if i dug the flatbed out of the loft). With LF you shouldn't get swamped with files like you do with a DSLR, and it very easy to search by tag, exclude the rubbish etc. If your file name is YYYY_number.gif or similar and you number the sleeves, finding the negs would be easy also.

There is a free version - darktable - for mac and linux

I don't shoot enough film to warrant it at the moment

[Thingy]

For 35mm and medium format I use Secol archival sheets and put them in a Timecare archival ring file box. Each are dated with a few details about the images, and are catalogued on a Excel spreadsheet.

For LF images they are currently placed in a Secol colour view sleeve (after scanning, where appropriate) to enable them to be handled without gloves, and are then placed in archival paper envelopes with information about each image, then the paper envelopes are stored in archival grey boxes. In future I will only take this kind of care with my best selected images and the rest will be filed in Secol archival sheets in Timecare boxes, as per MF film.

If you didn't know I worked in a library, this should give me away!

[Neil Barnes]

I am such a geek. For years, I put 'em in a box. Now, I put 'em in a folder. I don't take any good pictures, so they're all as bad as each other; I don't keep the absolute failures!

Neil