MINI COURSE TOPIC 8: Tips for Photography Storage
Storing your photos correctly and safely is key to ensuring that your business runs smoothly. Having a naming convention, a good system that works correctly, and understanding that system is crucial to your success. Letís look at some ways to store your pictures for maximum access and usability.
Having Enough Storage Capacity Is Key
Image files are only getting bigger each year. RAW 14-bit full frame image files on new cameras use up to 75 MB-100MB each. DSLR and now Mirrorless cameras can also shoot video and those files are even bigger, so drive capacity is essential to preserve from accidental loss or disaster.
My personal main drive is a the Samsung T7 Biometric SSD drive. Perfect for 2TB storage and security.
One Main Data Drive Backed to Two Other Drives
One main drive should be used for all original files. A second drive will be for backup copies of the first. These drives could be the portable external storage type, and should have ample space of about two to six terabytes (TB) each. Larger, bulkier external storage drives are available but take up more space.
Any external drives will do for archiving and Western Digital make good and price conscious options.
I personally use a 12TB RAID5 system, which gives me 6TB redundant storage. These are NOT SSDs as SSDs are not good for long term storage and they are expensive.
The bigger, the better, especially if your storing files in raw format. Use a third drive for backing up off site to prevent losses due to a disaster like fire or theft. The third drive could be a physical drive like the first two, or storage in the cloud.
Using Apple's Time Machine
Time Machine is an Apple system of backup and is easy to use. It backs up at predetermined intervals. Usually, a system will have a first drive backup to the second identical type using Time Machine. The second drive holds as many backups as it can and then deletes the oldest backups to make room for the newer backups.
The second drive is convenient to use to get the latest backup files if an original file is lost on the first drive. The first drive could also be backed to a source on the cloud or mirrored to another external drive off site for added disaster insurance.
Cloud Storage for Extra Backup
When your computerís hard drive gets loaded with files, it will slow down. Thatís when you need to start transferring files to external drives.
Cloud storage will cost a little if you get a plan that upgrades like Google Drive. Depending on which plan you choose, 100 GB or 200 GB of storage goes from 20 to 30 dollars a year. A network drive could be added to your home if your router supports USB and you have an external USB drive. Look at Amazon S3 storage.
Whatever system you use, consider using the cloud. Even if you use a series of hard drives, something could happen. Cloud storage is becoming a lot less expensive and more secure. You canít go wrong if you use a reputable cloud storage company.
Amazon S3 Glacier is long term, archival data storage services that is so cheap, it is cheaper than buying storage disks overall.
Moving photos around storage devices
I use a MacBook Pro M1/2 when working and I use a Hyperdrive USB-C dongle, which allows me to easily transfer photos from SD cards to my system. The Hyperdrive dongles work on all machines that have either 1 or 2 USB-C ports to work with. I recommend USB-C for the speed and safety of the transfer.
In addition, small SD cards are inexpensive these days. Store an additional copy of all your photos on these cards and store the SD cards away for longer periods as a 3rd backup, just in case, and use a SD hard case to protect the SD cards, when on the go and when stored away, to protect against the elements.
