diff --git a/admin.php b/admin.php
index 0994606ab..0c552e376 100644
--- a/admin.php
+++ b/admin.php
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ $page['nb_orphans'] = 0;
 list($page['nb_photos_total']) = pwg_db_fetch_row(pwg_query('SELECT COUNT(*) FROM '.IMAGES_TABLE));
 if ($page['nb_photos_total'] < 100000) // 100k is already a big gallery
 {
-  $page['nb_orphans'] = count(get_orphans());
+  $page['nb_orphans'] = count_orphans();
 }
 
 $template->assign(
diff --git a/admin/include/functions.php b/admin/include/functions.php
index deb78c1f2..25be5ab4d 100644
--- a/admin/include/functions.php
+++ b/admin/include/functions.php
@@ -2206,6 +2206,7 @@ UPDATE '.USER_CACHE_TABLE.'
   SET need_update = \'true\';';
     pwg_query($query);
   }
+  conf_delete_param('count_orphans');
   trigger_notify('invalidate_user_cache', $full);
 }
 
@@ -3269,6 +3270,33 @@ SELECT path
   return count($ids);
 }
 
+function count_orphans()
+{
+  if (is_null(conf_get_param('count_orphans')))
+  {
+    // we don't care about the list of image_ids, we only care about the number
+    // of orphans, so let's use a faster method than calling count(get_orphans())
+    $query = '
+SELECT
+    COUNT(*)
+  FROM '.IMAGES_TABLE.'
+;';
+    list($image_counter_all) = pwg_db_fetch_row(pwg_query($query));
+
+    $query = '
+SELECT
+    COUNT(DISTINCT(image_id))
+  FROM '.IMAGE_CATEGORY_TABLE.'
+;';
+    list($image_counter_in_categories) = pwg_db_fetch_row(pwg_query($query));
+
+    $counter = $image_counter_all - $image_counter_in_categories;
+    conf_update_param('count_orphans', $counter, true);
+  }
+
+  return conf_get_param('count_orphans');
+}
+
 /**
  * Return the list of image ids associated to no album
  *
diff --git a/admin/intro.php b/admin/intro.php
index cb0c73093..44827b95f 100644
--- a/admin/intro.php
+++ b/admin/intro.php
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ $nb_orphans = $page['nb_orphans']; // already calculated in admin.php
 
 if ($page['nb_photos_total'] >= 100000) // but has not been calculated on a big gallery, so force it now
 {
-  $nb_orphans = count(get_orphans());
+  $nb_orphans = count_orphans();
 }
 
 if ($nb_orphans > 0)