The simplest containment policy for pictures that have made it through the first cut is putting them into special photo cartons about the size of shoe boxes, only a little sturdier. Most of these come with envelopes for storing negatives and photos; or at the very least, you can leave them in the envelopes they come in from the lab. Always write the date and the event on the outside of the envelope, for quick retrieval.

Most boxes come with dividers and tabs for all the pertinent information. If you're going tab-less, Eisenberg suggests numbering the envelopes as you put them in, so that if you need to take one out you know exactly where to put it back.

These boxes, which normally store 1,000 photos, come dressed up in leather or with wrapping-paper-pretty designs so they don't look shoddy.

Preserve Your Photos with Proper Storage

If you want photos to last, make sure to store them correctly. Extreme temperatures and humidity can dramatically shorten the life span of your photos. "A good rule of thumb is if you're comfortable, your photos are comfortable," says Daniel Burge, an assistant scientist at the Image Permanence Institute at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

That means forget about stashing them in the attic, basement, or garage. Burge also cautions against storing photos near the kitchen or bathroom, where humidity is high, or in closets that back up to pipes, which could leak.