Photography Tip Series- Backing up your photographs
In this day and age we don't print our photographs or have dozens of albums around the house (which is a topic for another day people!) But what happens to those thousands of images we take? If it's on a phone, many are forgotten about never to be looked at or worst lost when your phone breaks or gets lost. If it's on a camera, so many people tend to just delete the files after a while to make room on an SD card. So years from now when children want to see those moments, how will you share with them? Will they be lost somewhere or gone altogether?
This is especially important in my career field but precious memories are kept by everyone so what is your backup plan for photos? I personally saw how important it is to have MULTIPLE backups of files 5 years ago when getting ready to move from Las Vegas. One hard drive failed, and then the other started acting like it was failing too, to say I started panicking was an understatement. I did get it backed up to a new one before the second crashed so I could then backup the new one. whew. But it happens. Technology fails, the best thing we can do to hold onto the most important things is to have a plan. I wish I could say I coined this, but after I figured out how I backup, I researched and found I agreed with the one out there... and it has a name! 3,2,1 Backup Strategy. It says this!...
Here's what it can look like:
3 copies of each file
2 local copies- This means on DIFFERENT harddrives. At least one being an external harddrive, the second could be on your computer or on a second harddrive. (I don’t store my photos on my computer after they’re offsite because of how i use my computer, it will slow my programs down.) Depending on the amount of photos and time, look into time machine or ways it can backup to your hard drive automatically each time a new file is uploaded. it may cost a bit more but then you don't have to take time periodically to back it all up yourself. Yeah for technology working FOR us!
If you're a photographer look into the Drobo 5N. It works over Wifi and backs it self up to 5 different hard drives. The technology is amazing and even if 2 of the hard drives fail it has a redundancy feature so you can be sure your files are still safe.
1- offsite backup- I use Smugmug pro because of what else it can do for my business, but look into Amazon, Carbonite, or whichever offsite backup plan works best for you.
It's not perfect, but it's a great way to make sure your files are safe for most people.
Not sure what to purchase?
Here's a few different hard drive suggestions, if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask me!
Also, don't just burn to DVDs. 1- that takes so much time. 2- they're easily lost or corrupted. 3- as we progress in technology you'll notice some computers don't even have a DVD drive anymore so they will become more obsolete.
If you decide to purchase, purchase form the amazon links below so I know they were useful for you!
1- Drobo 5N. For most people, this is going to be a bit much. 5 hard drives in one, redundancy feature, works over time machine, and a bit expensive. But if you're a professional photographer or in a similar field, it's worth the money. (oh and yes I still consider this machine just one of my backups)
2-The Crucial SSD 2TB. Again for most this is a LOT of storage. I decided to go with this one and build my own for travel. You can purchase one already complete or buy one like this to build your own. It's up to you!
3-Seagate 1TB BarraCuda. This one is a lot cheaper and would be a great backup for those not in the photography field. Starting around $55. This one is just the internal hard drive so you'd have to purchase the enclosure but if you look at suggestions on amazon it can get you all the gear you need! It's an HDD
4-Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB HDD. It's about $80 and includes the enclosure. Be careful with HDD vs SSD. HDD means there are moving parts so if you drop it especially if it's plugged in and working, it could corrupt some files. the SSD is more expensive but can bump around more.
WHEW. it's a lot of info and it is an investment, but so worth it! I'm all about displaying photographs in your home as art, but backing up to ensure they're safe is important.
Keep Shining
Shanna Star
