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Professional organizer Mary Cornetta advises gathering old photographs in one place, sorting them with a clear system, and starting with easy decisions such as blurry shots and duplicates. Her guidance, published by Apartment Therapy, also suggests asking relatives before discarding unidentified family photos and choosing storage that makes keepsakes easy to enjoy.
Professional organizer Mary Cornetta has outlined a practical way to sort old photographs: bring them together before making decisions, begin with obvious discards such as blurry images and duplicates, and organize the pictures kept in a system that suits the household. The guidance, published by Apartment Therapy, addresses a common obstacle to clearing photo collections: the emotional weight and volume of family images.
Cornetta recommends preparing before sorting. If photos turn up during a larger home-organizing project, she suggests collecting them in a box and waiting until that work is finished. Then gather the pictures in one place and clear a large surface, such as a table. Seeing the collection together can help people make decisions, while labels or index cards can keep groups organized by year, location, person, event or theme.
She advises starting with photographs that are easier to assess: images so blurry that the people cannot be identified, awkwardly cropped shots and duplicates or near-identical prints. For pictures whose subjects or circumstances are unclear, Cornetta suggests checking with relatives before letting them go. She also says people can keep a small number of images tied to a painful or ended relationship in a private memory box rather than mixing them with current family photographs.
Some photographs may matter more to another person. Cornetta recommends asking relatives whether they want pictures featuring them or their children, parents or pets, but cautions against passing along an unsorted pile without asking first. For the images that remain, she describes photo albums as one option for people who want to handle and browse their collections. The supplied excerpt introduces a section on organizing physical photographs but does not include the full list of storage methods.
Making Family Photos Easier to Keep
Old prints can be difficult to sort because each image may carry personal meaning, and large collections can make the task feel unmanageable. Cornetta’s approach breaks the work into smaller choices: gather the photographs, use a simple sorting structure and begin with images that are less likely to be missed. That can help households preserve photographs they value without feeling obliged to keep every print.
The advice also recognizes that family photographs may have value beyond the person sorting them. Asking relatives before discarding pictures can prevent the loss of images someone else would treasure, while requesting interest first avoids turning one person’s clutter into another’s task. The guidance is practical advice from an organizer, not a formal preservation standard or a guarantee that a particular storage method will protect photographs indefinitely.
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Why Photo Sorting Feels Difficult
In the Apartment Therapy report, Cornetta describes two reasons people struggle to clear photographs: the feelings the images bring up and the sheer number of prints many households have accumulated. She draws on her professional organizing work and her own family’s collection, which includes hundreds or possibly thousands of photographs stored in shoe boxes in a basement.
The article frames sorting as part of household organizing, while advising readers to handle it separately from a larger project. Its focus is deciding what to keep and arranging physical photographs. The available source text does not provide a complete inventory of recommended storage products or detailed archival-preservation instructions.
Storage Advice in the Excerpt
The source material ends shortly after introducing photo albums and does not include the full set of six organizing methods named in the article’s heading. It also does not specify particular products, environmental conditions, or preservation standards. The recommendations here should be read as decluttering and organizing guidance, not as detailed advice on preventing long-term damage to photographs.
The article does not set a required number of pictures to keep or a universal rule for deciding which memories matter. Those choices remain personal, and the supplied material does not establish whether readers should discard, donate, sell or shred any specific photograph. Cornetta presents those options as choices depending on the images and their possible significance.
Sort, Ask, Then Choose Albums
Readers following Cornetta’s approach can first collect photographs scattered around the home, then sort them on a clear surface using labeled groups. Starting with blurry pictures and duplicates can make the first pass less emotionally demanding. Before discarding unidentified family images or passing photographs to relatives, ask whether someone can identify or wants them.
After deciding what to keep, choose an organizing method that fits how the household expects to use the collection. Cornetta specifically mentions albums for people who want to browse prints. The source excerpt does not state whether Apartment Therapy plans further updates or give a date for additional storage recommendations.
Key Questions
What should I sort out first when decluttering old photos?
Cornetta recommends beginning with easier decisions, including blurry or badly cropped images and duplicate prints. Gather the photographs in one place first so you can assess the collection together.
Should I throw away unidentified family photos?
Not before checking with relatives, according to Cornetta. A family member may recognize people or places in a photograph that are unclear to you.
How should I pass unwanted photographs to relatives?
Ask first whether they want the pictures, Cornetta advises. Avoid handing someone an unsorted collection and expecting them to make the decisions for you.
What is one way to organize the photos I keep?
Cornetta suggests using photo albums if you want to flip through prints. She also recommends maintaining order while sorting with labels or index cards and grouping images by a category such as year, person or event.
Source: apartmenttherapy.com
