We're taking more photos than ever, and hanging on to the bad ones. Professional organizer Mary Ellen Vincent says staying on top of the tsunami of photos is one of her clients' biggest challenges.

Our pictures are probably the first thing we'd rush to save if our homes were on fire. Here are some ways to eliminate photo organizing frustration so you can easily enjoy them for years to come.

Edit ruthlessly: Toss photos that are unflattering, and eliminate duplicates. Vincent sets limits for events, such as the best five. "When you have thousands of pictures, similar ones lose their impact. Be brutal."

Digitize old photos: Scan slides and old photos onto your computer. Or give the job to a photo store. A bulk scan of up to 300 pictures often can be obtained for about $50. Otherwise the slides are just collecting dust.

Consider software: Editing software that allows you to crop images and eliminate red eye is another great way to keep up with your visual story. Some programs contain folders as well as keyword tags, so it's easy to pull up all the photos of a particular person. Free software often comes with your computer. But there are nifty updates for photo software that cost about $80 to $100.

Watch your backup: Your pictures will be safe if your hard drive crashes or your computer gets a virus if they're also stored on a backup source. Photos can be saved onto recordable CDs and labeled with events. Store them in a fireproof box.

Simplify storage: If you go the traditional album route, look for 4-by-6-inch sleeves and sheet-protected pouches for odd sizes.

Follow a system: Once photos are organized, keep them that way. Store photos in a photo box or album within a week of obtaining them. Label with the date, event and names on the back. Each month, download all the pictures from your digital camera and delete bad ones. Once a year, update photos you have on display in frames.