We live in the digital age, and it makes sense that you want to have your favourite images from your senior, maternity, engagement or family portrait session kept safe and stored for future generations. Now that you have your digital gallery, here are some important ways you can store and protect them.
BACK UP TO AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE
As the long forgotten floppy disc taught us, formats change over the years. Some computers don’t even support DVDs anymore, so it’s important to move your digital files onto an external hard drive so they can be copied directly onto new technology. These hard drives can be purchased anywhere and plug into your computer with a USB cord. Simply transfer the images with a simple copy and paste to the external hard drive for safekeeping.
BACK UP TO A USB
Small thumb drives should be large enough to hold your entire gallery, and are an economical way to back up your digital images. It’s always a good idea to have your images stored on several devices. You can even store one copy off site or in a fire proof box.
ON THE CLOUD
Putting your files and documents onto “the cloud” means that they are not stored on physical hardware but rather online through a host. There are several free options, but they offer limited storage space. Typically you would purchase a yearly subscription for the host to store your images. This is a great option, since they are safe in the event of physical damage to your DVD or external hard drive.
PRINT AND PRESERVE
While digital images are great for sharing and having a back up copy, I will always recommend printing your images so you have a lasting version of your favourite photos. These can be stored anywhere and put out for display to see every day.
DOUBLE UP
No matter how you choose to protect your precious photos, make sure to double up on the back ups. I use not one, not two, but THREE external hard drives to store my photos, and back them up on the cloud as well.
I simply cannot risk them getting lost due to a technical glitch or corrupted drive. Happy storing!
Great post! There are so many options for backing up, but you did a fantastic job of explaining them in a simple way. 🙂 And I totally agree on doubling or tripling up on the backups. I’ve had a external HD go out and it’s pricy to try to get those photos back!
Such important information! I know I would be heartbroken if I lost my images!
So true! Great advice on what to do with the digital files. I bet so many people buy their disk and then they just keep the one copy. I agree that more people should make sure they print their favorite shots!
Such great advice! I totally need to do this myself of my own family pictures!