Why hire a Photo Manager?
I am here to help you preserve your memories and organize them to enjoy, share easily, keep your stories alive, and have peace of mind knowing that they are protected from fire, flood, or any other disaster. If your printed photos have been stored in a box in a closet, garage, basement, or attic for years, they are at risk of being damaged and they are probably not being enjoyed.
Tackling this project can be less overwhelming with guidance from a professional, if you want to do it yourself. If you want me to complete the entire project, we will be in communication through every phase. When it is completed, you will have an organized and curated collection that will be preserved in print form and digitized.
My photos are so disorganized! How can you help?
After a free 20-minute video consultation where we discuss your goals for your photos, I will send you a recap of our conversation with a proposal for next steps. If you choose to hire Ducks in a Row Photo Solutions, I will send a contract, and we will schedule a time for a “discovery session” at your home. After we gather all your photographs together in one place, we will estimate the number of photos we are working with and I will assess the preparation that will be needed for the next phase, which I can do for you, or you can do with my guidance. This may take 2, 3, or more hours, depending on the state of your photo collection. I will give you a timeline to fill out with your family details and take my notes and snapshots of the various boxes of photos to my home. Our plans going forward will proceed once I create an estimate, taking into consideration specialized care that may be needed for some photos, organizing time, number of scans, color and redeye correction needed, level of detail desired in adding metadata to the scanned images, arranging them in folders, and putting them onto a flashdrive or external hard drive for you. Once a detailed estimate has been submitted to you, and a payment method is agreed upon, I will collect your photos, taking careful inventory of what is leaving your home. Your original photos will be returned to you in labeled boxes (archival quality is recommended), along with the flash drive or external hard drive.
How long will it take to complete my photo organization and scanning project?
Every project is different and dependent upon many variables. Unless there is a deadline established in our first meeting, in which case, you probably have a specific and limited goal, I cannot give you a time estimate until we have established clear goals and I have seen the collection in a discovery session. Once that has occurred, I will keep you informed at each phase of the project. It could be weeks for a small collection or months for a large one to be completed.
What will it cost?
Again, each project is different and needs to be assessed. It is not uncommon for a large project to cost upwards of $5,000 to $10,000. We will discuss your needs and your budget, and I will work with you to come up with a plan that will work for you. We can discuss payment plans or splitting the project up into phases, allowing you to proceed to the next phase when it is convenient. Alternatively, we can discuss what you can do on your own, using my assistance only when needed, or taking over once the photos are ready for scanning.
Most people list their photos as being among the first things they would grab if they had to evacuate their homes (after their loved ones, pets, and important documents). They should be preserved like the treasures that they are; don’t you think?
How involved must I be?
You can be as involved as much or as little as you’d like! You will need to provide some initial information at the beginning of the project and may need to be contacted for expanded information as I proceed. But you may want to hand it off to me and wait to be delighted at the end of the completed project. Alternatively, you may want to try to do as much of it as you can by yourself, minimizing my involvement. Either way is fine with me as long as you are happy at the end of the project!
Do you offer packages? Discounts? Payment Plans?
I do offer payment plans, if that is preferred, but I don’t typically offer many discounts or package deals. If a project is extensive and circumstances warrant special pricing, I will consider extra value offers. I will also offer a discount that can be used for a future project to clients who refer someone else who then becomes a client.
Do you do photo restoration?
I do minimal photo restoration but have a list of professionals to whom I can outsource any services that I do not offer myself.
Can you help me with my digital photos?
At this time, I am not offering this service myself but have a list of professional photo managers who specialize in this service who would be happy to organize your digital photo collection, as well as coordinate with you on creating a cloud backup that best works for your needs.
Do you do conversions of video to digital files?
I have people I trust that I would enlist to help us on this type of a project, but I do not do these conversions myself.
Have more questions? Please feel free to email me or schedule a free 20-minute video consultation and I’ll try to answer them.
