Sorting images before storage, how do you do it?

Simple question really, how do you sort your photos?

I sort my folders by date, eg. 2006>01/28/06 with Windows XP the folders have 4 preview pictures and that allows me to see what's inside. If I shoot a lot in one day (different subjects) I make seprate folders accordingly, eg. 2006>01/28/06>001 I also attach a text document and write a little about the day or where I was, etc.

For me, the date works out great...I can always remember what month I shot something in and can then scan over a couple folders real quick to find the one I'm looking for. But I fear as the years go on my memory might fade and I'll forget things in the abyss of folders and files.

What programs do you use (if any) to sort your photos?

I am in the middle of Peter Krogh's The DAM Book (digital asset management). I would highly recommend this book (under $25 at amazon). He puts forth a sound sorting and archiving management strategy that is well worth the time to read. What was a real eye opener for me was when he extrapolated out the 115,000 shots that he took in the last 3 years for 30 years: 1,350,000 photos! Now my collection isn't anywhere near that big, but the principle is the same. How would you ever manage such a collection and hope to ever find anything? He's big on metadata keyword, labeling, and ratings (using Bridge and a cataloging software), along with a logical filing and backup system.

For the cataloging, he uses iView, which is a bit pricey for me. I am going to go with iMatch, which is less expensive. In my search for such software, I didn't find any clear winners. iViewPro is good, but expensive. Others were cheaper, with less capability. iMatch has risks (single developer), but is a good value. Lots of people like ACDSee, which is a good basic program.

I use a dated heirachy of folders, and I name folders with the event. I don't bother with adding keywords. For events i'm paid for (weddings) they go into an events folder, then a year folder, then each event gets a folder. So far this strategy is working well for me (18 months with it so far).

Folders broken down by major subject such as family, landscape, sunrise. Subfolders are the date shot was taken. Both raw and processed.

Everything I save is to a separate internal HD & is duplicated on an external HD. Karen's Replicator is free & great for that.
http://www.karenware.c​om/powertools.asp
CD's are kept in a separate location from my home.


I make descriptive folders & put them in common categories: J:\Carz 2005 Misc\Pampas Lanes 9-1-04 I also rename the file like: 40-Ford-Deluxe-Coup-350_019.jpg

Carz 2005
... Pampas Lanes 9-1-04 (Contains the web jpgs)
...... RAW
...... Tiffs
...... Prints
......... 12X
......... 4X

Web jpgs are so small that I never delete them. Why bother? Besides, they quickly remind me what's in the folder as I save them in the first tier, not in the raw & tiff folders.
Most of the time I can do so much in RSE that all I have to do in PS is crop. Resizing, ©, sharpening, & saving for the web can all be done in one action if you want to, so why save that Tiff?
Some "special" Tiff files that need a Layer Mask, etc., take more time to do. Those tiffs I'll usually save. The simple ones, I might save to CD & then delete them from the HD.

There's a Microsoft tool that does mirroring of files that works well to external disks, and it's free. It's called Robocopy, download it at that link.

Folder named as per the event. Next level down is an Originals folder and an amended folder and the docs are placed in these.