phi.lho's comments still apply. You don't need to store the images themselves in the data. Just sufficient metadata so you can construct a path to the image (on your hard drive or elsewhere), and so you can search for it via title/tags, etc.
Also, before reinventing the wheel, consider some of the off-the-shelf photo management packages aimed at professional photographers (such as Apple's Aperture). "Professional image management" and "professional photo organizer" are good search terms.