opendir(DIRHANDLE, $self->param('photos_dir')) or die "couldn't open main directory: $!";
$dir_row_count = 0;
$file_count = 0;
$row_limit = 5;
while (defined($filename = readdir(DIRHANDLE)))
{
	next if $filename =~ /^\.\.?$/ || !(-d $filename);
		push @$dir_list, { dir => $filename, dir_row => [] };
	opendir(SUBDIRHANDLE, "$filename") or die "couldn't open directory $filename: $!";
		my @pictures = grep { /\.(?:png|gif|jpg)$/ } readdir SUBDIRHANDLE;
	closedir(SUBDIRHANDLE);

	push @{$dir_list->[scalar @$dir_list - 1]{dir_row}}, { file_row => [] };
	$file_count = 0;
	foreach (@pictures)
	{
		unless ($file_count % $row_limit)
		{
			push @{$dir_list->[scalar @$dir_list - 1]{dir_row}}, { file_row => [] };
		}
		push @{$dir_list->[scalar @$dir_list - 1]{dir_row}[$dir_row_count]{file_row}}, { filename => "$filename/$_", alt => $_ };
		$file_count++;
	}
	$dir_row_count++;
}

##</code><code>##

$VAR1 = [
          {
            'dir' => '50s',
            'dir_row' => [
                           {
                             'file_row' => [
                                             {
                                               'alt' => 'band_table.jpg',
                                               'filename' => '50s/band_table.jpg'
                                             },
                                             {
                                               'alt' => 'cake_t2.jpg',
                                               'filename' => '50s/cake_t2.jpg'
                                             },
                                             {
                                               'alt' => 'cake-t.jpg',
                                               'filename' => '50s/cake-t.jpg'
                                             },
                                             {
                                               'alt' => 'an_logo.jpg',
                                               'filename' => '50s/an_logo.jpg'
                                             },
                                             {
                                               'alt' => 'gabe-bpm.jpg',
                                               'filename' => '50s/gabe-bpm.jpg'
                                             },
                                             {
                                               'alt' => 'cake_enter.jpg',
                                               'filename' => '50s/cake_enter.jpg'
                                             }
                                           ]
                           },
                           {
                             'file_row' => []
                           },
                           {
                             'file_row' => []
                           }
                         ]
          },
          {
            'dir' => '60s',
            'dir_row' => [
                           {
                             'file_row' => []
                           },
                           {
                             'file_row' => [
                                             {
                                               'alt' => 'cake_cdsleeve.jpg',
                                               'filename' => '60s/cake_cdsleeve.jpg'
                                             }
                                           ]
                           }
                         ]
          }
        ];