Old Files

Several years ago, I thought I would get organized with my photos and store them, not by date or file name, but by subject. I have created a photo database where my image files are stored in folders that are marked Sunsets or Waterfalls, or Family.

Folders can contain subfolders: Birds are further broken down to Chickadees or Cardinals. Family are divided into individuals if they are the only ones in the photo.

Photos can be stored in more than one location. For example, the following photo is stored under Churches and again, in Travel > France > Paris.

This system of organization has been helpful in quickly finding an image, especially when I'm looking for something to go with a blog post. I'm less likely to find a photo if it's stored by date, and if I were to go by the file name that the camera assigns to it, there's no way I'd be able to find anything.

It took me a long time to go through old photos and organize the folders, but now that it's completed it's really easy for me to add new photos that I shoot. But the database is not perfect and, as I sometimes discover, it's not complete.

I keep all of my photos on external storage devices and, before I created this system, my photos were stored by date, in folders that briefly described what is in them (for example, Kid 1 Soccer Tournament). But a folder held all of the images from a particular day and I could have attended several events on that day, which meant that the images could be a hodge-podge of various things.

It could take me hours to find a particular photograph.

I thought I had moved all of my photos into the new storage system, but every once and a while, I remember a photo that I had taken but can't find it in the database. Did I delete the photo? Did I accidentally stick it in the wrong directory?

The other day, when I was writing my post about Toastmasters, I thought I had taken a photo of my club's banner, that I had photos of the lectern, and possibly a photo that someone had taken of me, presenting a speech.

There is no Toastmasters folder. There is nothing in my Special Events directory. I couldn't find a single image for Toastmasters so I had to acquire one from an open source site. I go there whenever I cannot find a suitable image in my database that I can use for a blog post.

After I published yesterday's post, I noticed a red box, the size of a cigarette pack, behind the computer monitor. It was my original storage device, the one where I had kept all of my photos before my new system. I plugged it into my laptop and looked inside.

There are still hundreds of photos that I haven't yet organized. After some initial searching, I found a Toastmasters folder, but it held photos that I had captured at a Christmas party: candid shots of individual members; pictures of groups, laughing or sitting at tables; me, with an arm around a fellow Toastmaster, posing for the camera. Nothing that would have helped yesterday's post.

I'm sure there's a suitable photo in there, somewhere.

But there are still lots of family shots, lots of vacation shots, lots of nature shots. Hundreds, maybe thousands of photos that still remain unorganized. I must have taken a break form my organizing and then simply forgotten.

Looking at some of the photos gave me ideas for future blog posts. As I work on finding these images a proper home, I'll get to writing, too.

Stay tuned.

Getting Organized

When Tuesday evening came around, I thought that I should put together a Wordless Wednesday post for this week. Then, I remembered, I haven't really used my cameras, much, since New Year's Eve.

I took my last POTD picture, processed it, shared it on social media, and put my D-SLR down. I used the photo in a blog post that I never shared on social media because the message that would announce the blog post would use more words than were contained in the post, itself.

I was only wishing you all a Happy New Year, which I did anyway.

So, when it came to a Wordless Wednesday post, this week, I had nothing. I haven't used my D-SLR. I have taken a couple of snapshots with my friend's Ricoh, but I'm far from filling the roll and sending it off for processing.

I've taken a few snaps with my Canon point-and-shoot, but nothing that could be used for a Wordless Wednesday. I like those images to share a common theme or tell a story.

In fact, apart from two images that I captured with my smartphone, I haven't shared any new photographs at all on this blog. Every other image was either captured in 2017 or earlier, or were images that I took from Google searches.

My drought of photo taking will come to an end, tomorrow (Friday), when I post my next photo from my black-and-white project.

I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon and evening, organizing my photo library. I'm highly disorganized when it comes to keeping track of my photos. When I have pulled the image files from my camera and have processed them, I create a file folder with the date that the photos were shot—say, 20180111, for today—and would then provide a brief description of the subjects on the files. That way, my photos would be in folders that displayed in chronological order.

Filing photos by date is not a good way to organize photos. I have to remember when I took the image and hope that the description that accompanies the date helps. But the problem is that as the years go on, I can't remember when I took a photo: Did I shoot my Bate Island Project in 2012 or 2013? When was I in Scotland?

I tend to spend a lot of time looking for photos with this system.

So, when I finished work, yesterday, I went into my files and created a folder structure that works more like a database. Folders are listed according to the subject, not the date. For example, I have a Travel folder, which contains subfolders for destinations my family and I have visited, such as Cuba, Montreal, or Arizona. Some folders, such as France, contain more folders, for Paris, Loire, Juno Beach, and other towns or regions.

Photos can be in more than one folder: for example, a foggy image of Parliament Hill can be found in my Ottawa\Parliament Hill folder and in my Fog folder. I realize that duplicate files will take more storage space but I think this will make it easier for me to find images.

And storage space is cheap.

So, while I'm not shooting as much as I used to, I'm working with my photos a lot more as I get them organized.

Do you have a tried-and-true system for organizing photos?

Beer O'Clock: Did I Wait Too Long?

There's a problem in hoarding beer: eventually, you have to drink it?

Not much of a problem, is it?

Sometimes, I buy a beer and put it in my cellar, telling myself that I'll drink it at a special occasion or that I'll wait until I have a theme.

But then a special release will present itself, or a limited-release seasonal will come out. And I put those beers down as a priority, tell myself that I have to get a review out for those first, so that my readers, if they're interested, can get some for yourselves.

You're welcome.

But then those other beers fall behind and I never seem to find the right time to open them.

Take this week's beer, for example.

Last July, when I vacationed with my family along the eastern seaboard of the United States, we made some stops along the way and I visited a couple of brew pubs. I took notes and wrote some reviews, which, if you haven't read before, you can read here. And here.

When we spent a couple of days in Washington, we visited a Whole Foods Market to pick up a quick meal. In the store's basement, I discovered an entire section of local craft beer, and I went wild: I picked up so many bottles that I could barely carry them back to our hotel. My wife and kids had to help carry my dinner while I carried the cases and lone bottles.

I've since consumed most of what I brought back. I also gave some away to friends. But there are a couple of bottles that I still have, lying on their sides amongst my wine bottles, waiting to be opened.

Last night, I opened one of those bottles.

Double D Double IPA (10.2% ABV)
Old Dominion Brewing Company
Dover, DE, U.S.A.
Beer O'Clock rating: 4/5

I was first drawn to the bottle by it's label. As a kid, I was obsessed with WWII fighter planes. My father would buy me models and help me assemble them; would painstakingly paint them with camouflage markings and patiently apply the decals to just the right place.

I loved the bombers that we built and was fascinated by the ornate artwork that would be affixed to the nose section. In most cases, it was a pinup girl, scantily clad and riding a bomb, sidesaddle.

That's just what I saw on this bottle. It was the artwork that caught my eye, but when I saw that this was a double-hopped IPA, I was sold.

On Saturday, nearly seven months after I purchased this ale, I opened it up.

Candy-orange in colour (I was reminded of lollipops—more childhood memories), this IPA delivered a fresh, foamy, off-white head. There was sediment in the bottle, but that didn't bother me at all.

The nose was intense and had a candied sweetness, with floral notes and bold orange citrus fruits. In the mouth, Double D lives up to its name with intense hops, burnt orange, and caramel. There's a hint of sweetness to the incredibly flavourful finish.

Double D boasts an incredible 95 IBUs, and delivers with an explosive punch that is well-balanced with the high alcohol level.

As its label illustrates, this is a voluptuous IPA with an explosive amount of flavour.

Yet, despite the incredible flavour, I was worried that I had hung onto it for too long. As I drank my pint, I saw the sediment bubble upwards with the carbon dioxide and the pieces seemed to get bigger, much like the bricking effect you can get in an old wine that is past its prime.

I have watched a glass of old Bordeaux disintegrate in my glass, have experienced a new taste with every sip, as the wine quickly turned into vinegar. It's a fascinating process to watch.

While this didn't happen with Double D—it maintained its structure and taste—I had to ask myself: did I wait too long to open this beer? Perhaps not for the life of the ale, but in depriving myself of an awesome brew, definitely.

To my Canadian friends, I suggest you keep an eye out for this beer the next time you slip across the border. It's worth having in your cellar.

Cheers!