get a ginormous card.. 2 gig for me....

set the pix size to about medium ... and you can take some 800 pix or so ...

snap a pic of the label/tag ... then the hosta...

download them however.. opting for the date with the pic number ....

then on my PC i open windows explorer.. and change the file names from the camera to the hosta name .... changing to thumbnails helps .. or double clicking and pulling up a big version sometimes helps ...

in other words.. DCS 1976-091508 ... where 1976 is the pic number.. and 091508 is the date ... turns into:

Elegans 091508 ....

and if i happen to take two.. or three:

Elegans 091508 2
Elegans 091808 3

and then i delete all the label pix ... from the camera and the computer ....

and then they all go into a folder named HOSTA PIX ...

and they all end up .. in alpha.. by name.. and by date of picture ... and trust me.. 5 years down the line.. you will still have them all labeled ...

ken

I do EXACTLY what Ken does! I first take a photo of the nametag and then the plant. The only difference is mine would say Elegans2 - Sept 15 2008.

Char

Peggy, you'll soon discover that with a digital camera you take and save more pictures. I'd check out a free download from google - called Picasa2. This program lets you organize, edit (crop and some other useful adjustmensts), and share your photos. I've been using it for over a year and find it very useful. Think of it as a digital photo album that finds all the pictures on your computer and lets you use them.

I use Picasa to edit, rename, crop, adjust lighting and color, organize, print, create a screensaver, slideshows of albums, ...

There is a newer version out that I just downloaded Picasa3 with a few more whistles added - but it does require Windows Vista.

Paul

Here is a link that might be useful: Picasa2.7

My nametags don't always show, actually, I generally prefer they don't show easily (try to have them behind foilage on mature plants). I carry a clipboard and paper or a tablet with me and write down the names in the order I take the pics. Then I label the pics after I copy them to the PC. I use a ginormous memory card too :-) but I prefer to take the photos in the highest quality and then I make smaller copies for loading online. I use both photobucket and imageevent for storing photos online. I like photobucket best for those photos that I want to display in my GW posts.

Sometimes I keep a tape recorder in my pocket and record the names as I'm taking the pictures. It's faster than writing them down.

Joyce, how many pix can you store on Photobucket these days? Isn't there a limit?

Digital Cameras are so FUN! I'm not familiar with your model, but with my little Sure Shot Elph, I can take a photo and add a voice memo to each photo. Later, when you re-name them you can remove the memo. Canon has software called ZoomBrowser that allows you to sort and save all your photos very easily on your computer, as well as re-size, crop, edit, add printed words to the photos, etc. I use a 4 GB memory chip so I never have to worry about running out of memory. Take the highest resolution you can, as it is easy to re-size them down, but you can't go the other way.

-Babka

Maryann, I've never hit the limit on Photobucket, but I just went and checked and you can store up to one gig of data on the free account. I think that the main reason I've not hit that, is because I store more photos on Imageevent and mainly use Photobucket for photos that I want to display in GW posts. I like Photobucket best for images for the forum because they make it so easy... just copy the text that they show you into your GW post and there's the pic, like magic!

I must have a better memory than most,because,except for a few noids that I never knew the name of,I know the name of every hosta I have,by sight. I have over 300 hostas counting seedlings. What's the big deal? Phil

the big deal????

i have 300 hundred different hosta.. that look exactly the same.. lol ... only the label tells them apart ...

i also have a 6 and 10 year old.. that kill brain cells ... lol ...

if i were to volunteer .. to copy my pix.. burn them to a CD and send them to you.. i could accomplish that in about 30 seconds... you would have to take the time to label them all .... or i wouldnt bother looking at them ...

ken wrote.. for some reason he didnt want to post.. claiming that one should ALWAYS take pix at the largest size .... if you ever plan on sending a pic for publication .... or a website.. that is a good idea..

but if you have an older computer... you will crash the thing .. if you pile up 1000 full size pix.. you will have a hard time opening files due to the shear size ... i just dont see why i need them that big .... and i dont have time to go edit every file ... when i take 50 or 60 files ...
chime back here ken.. cbiii

ken

Getting older kills brain cells too.... although, who am I kidding? I couldn't remember things 20+ years ago.... although then I had the kids killing brain cells, like ken!! And then there's the problem where I look at a hosta and I KNOW the name, but absolutely can not say it (or write it or in any other way identify it to anyone else). And if that's not bad enough, I have the same problem with people! And with a lot of other things. Sometimes I can bring the names up right away, more times then not, as a matter of fact. But other times that name just is not there!

You must have a great memory, Phil. Treasure it :-)

Ken,if you have 300 hostas that look exactly the same,you should be more selective in getting your next hostas. I agree,all the Sieboldiana-type hosta look mostly alike to me,so why have so many of them? I think the green with white margin ones all look alike also. I am getting more selective also,rather that just getting it because it's one I don't already have. Phil

its like phil doesnt even know me... waaaaa

btw .... havent bought a hosta in at least 5 years .... THEY ALL LOOK LIKE SOMETHING ELSE ....

ken

PS: doesnt mean i havent got more.. snicker ... lol

Peggy, Do you know what the names of the hosta are before you take a photo?

LOL

Paul

Paul, I have 99% of my hostas labeled. Yesterday after work, I groomed all my H. like I was getting kids ready for their school pictures!!! I re-marked all the labels so I'm thinking that I should be able to read them on the photos.
I'm considering asking some grade school kid to help me with the downloading and labeling! I'm so computer bad!
Peggy

Around the end of September I take pictures of my hostabeds, in about 10 foot increments, left to right. I download the images to my PC, and print them out each on an 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet in B&W. With clipboard in hand I revisit the beds and using a red ballpoint pen, I write the name next to each hosta in the picture.
The squirrels can play with the tags all they want, and the wind can blow them away. Come spring time I will be able to identify each hosta as they come up.
Manfred