Urge to Purge

Want to organize the massive collection of photos stashed somewhere in a drawer or taking up space on your phone, but don’t know where to start? That’s where professional photo organizer CAROLYN MOSHIER, of Urge to Purge Photo Organization, comes in. 

Urge to Purge offers printed or digital photo organization, project organization coaching, custom-designed photo books and video slideshows, and digital estate planning, among other services.

“Preserving family history and strengthening family bonds through photos is at the core of what I do,” Moshier says. “I understand the importance of documenting our stories and ensuring they are not lost in the digital clutter of today’s world.”

Moshier’s services usually start with an assessment meeting in which she learns more about the customer’s specific goals and what services they are looking for. Based on what the client’s photo situation looks like – for example, do they have multiple tubs of printed photos that need to be organized or a large amount of digital photos saved in multiple places – she then determines how best to help them. 

“The end goal is to help folks feel good about their photo collection that they now find readily accessible, sustainable, safeguarded, and most importantly, easily shareable with loved ones,” Moshier says. 

Prior to becoming a professional photo organizer, Moshier was an occupational therapist for more than twenty-five years. Seeking a professional change and the opportunity to start her own business, Moshier brought her organization skills and her passion for preserving family memories together by establishing Urge to Purge in 2020.

Moshier describes herself as a “natural-born, intuitive organizer.” 

“I was always the family historian – the one making scrapbooks, photo books, and video slideshows for our large family’s special occasions,” she says. “I treasure family memories.”

Client education was a big part of Moshier’s former career in occupational therapy, and it’s something that she has brought to her work as a professional photo organizer. Moshier values educating her clients on best practices for photo organization and empowering them to sustain the practices she puts into place.  

Part of Urge to Purge’s services involves helping clients preserve their family photos from natural, technological, or cyber security disasters. For printed photos, Moshier says the security process involves storage that is both waterproof and fireproof. For digital photos, Moshier advises clients to keep three copies of important photos – one copy on a laptop, one copy backed up to an external hard drive, and one copy on a cloud service or other online photo storage. 

Additionally, Moshier is planning workshops and online courses about digital estate planning, cyber safety, printed photo organization workshops, and photo scanning.

As for the photos she has come across that resonate the most with Moshier, she personally is drawn to multigenerational photos. “That’s what I love the most, is the family part of it,” she says. “Family photos at events, they tell the story.” 

To view more of photographer Daria Amato’s work, go to dariaphoto.com

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