Storage and backups may not be the most exciting topics, but they’re one of those little admin tasks that come with being a photographer. Get them right and you can rest a lot easier at night knowing your hard earned shots are safe!
Whether you shoot a few landscapes for fun each weekend or support yourself through your photography, implementing a solid storage workflow is essential for every photographer.
In this article, we’ll discuss your options for organizing, storing, and making backups of your photo library locally and in the cloud.
Let’s explore some best practices and tips to help your photos remain safely archived for years to come, so you can focus on what really matters – finding your next great capture out in the field!
Good storage & back-ups guarantees that we can keep enjoying photos for years to come!
Table of Contents
External Hard Drives vs. Cloud Storage
It’s good practice to keep your photos in multiple locations. The hard drive of your editing computer or laptop is usually the first choice. Having a secondary backup (ideally that you keep in a separate place in your home, or even elsewhere) is a great idea in case of computer or hard drive failure.
The next file storage location that most photographers will consider are either a physical back-up hard drive or cloud storage. There are pros and cons to each, which we’ll summarize below!
| Feature | External Hard Drive | Cloud Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | Requires physical connection to the device | Accessible from any device with internet |
| Storage Capacity | Limited to the capacity of the hard drive | Scalable, often offering larger capacities |
| Backup and Redundancy | Manual backup required | Automatic backup and redundancy features |
| Mobility | Portable but physical | Accessible from anywhere with internet |
| Collaboration | Limited collaboration features | Easy collaboration with file sharing options |
| Cost | One-time hardware purchase cost | Subscription-based with potential ongoing costs |
| Security | Physically controlled, less vulnerable to online threats | Security depends on the cloud provider’s measures |
| Internet Dependency | Not dependent on internet | Requires internet for access and uploads |
| Versioning and File History | Manual versioning, limited file history | Often includes versioning and file history features |
| Disaster Recovery | Limited without off-site storage | Built-in disaster recovery options |
Cloud Storage Options for Photographers
Photographers are spoiled for choice when it comes to cloud storage services. Here are some popular choices:
Google Drive
- Offers 15 GB of free storage.
- Integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace (formerly G Suite).
- Good for collaboration and sharing with other Google users.
Dropbox
- Known for its simplicity and ease of use.
- Offers free storage with options to upgrade for more space.
- Great for file synchronization and collaboration.
Microsoft OneDrive
- Comes with 5 GB of free storage with options to expand.
- Integrated with Microsoft 365.
- Good for Windows users and those who use Office applications.
Adobe Creative Cloud
- Designed specifically for creative professionals.
- Offers storage as part of the Creative Cloud subscription.
- Seamless integration with Adobe’s creative tools.
Amazon Drive
- Provides 5 GB of free storage with additional space available.
- Offers a secure and scalable solution.
- Great for you if you already subscribe to Amazon Prime for free shipping.
Flickr
- Specialized for photo storage as well as sharing.
- Provides 1,000 GB (1TB) of free storage for photos and videos.
- Features a strong community aspect for photographers.
SmugMug
- Geared towards professional photographers.
- Offers unlimited storage for photos at various subscription levels.
- Provides customization options for portfolio presentation.
Apple iCloud
- Integrates seamlessly with Apple devices.
- Offers 5 GB of free storage with options to upgrade.
- Useful for photographers using Apple’s ecosystem.
When choosing a cloud storage provider, consider factors like storage capacity, pricing, ease of use, collaboration features, and integration with your existing tools and workflows.
External Hard Drives
We make extensive use of LaCie Rugged External Hard Drives at Mountains and Treasures. 4TB of additional storage space can be had for around $200 CAD, which takes quite awhile to fill up. They’re also, as the name suggests, very rugged and can even be carted around in the field for on-the-go backups.
We’ve had no complaints with them over the years, and the cords are just as durable as the drive itself. (Very important as we have tried other brands of hard drives whose cords fail over time, making the files totally inaccessible.)
Picking the Right Storage for You
Here are some tips for selecting the right storage solution based on your particular needs:
- Large photo library (>100GB)? Hard drives are generally more cost effective than cloud for bulk storage.
- Frequently transfer between devices? Cloud storage allows easy access from anywhere via auto-sync.
- Value redundancy off-site? Cloud backup protects against local hardware failure.
- Frequently travel for work? Cloud is ideal to access files when away from home desktop.
- Regular large file uploads/downloads? Have fast home internet for hard drives, stable upload speeds for cloud.
- Budget conscious? Hard drives have a higher upfront cost, but no monthly fees.
- Store archival collections long-term? Hard drives can maintain files intact for decades, but you never know if cloud services might close down and go offline.
- Privacy concerns? Keep any sensitive files on personal storage rather than cloud services, which may be vulnerable to hacking.
Make Back-Ups an Ongoing Routine
Back-ups are one more little administration task to put on your to-do list, but they can give you the long term peace of mind knowing your images will be safe in case of a flood, hard drive failure, etc.
A standard approach to back-ups is the 3-2-1 rule: 3 total copies of files, with 2 kept locally (on different devices), and 1 off-site. For photographers, this could mean:
- Primary photos library on your computer’s internal hard drive.
- Back-ups to external hard drive 1 stored in a separate room of your house.
- Back-ups to external hard drive 2 or cloud storage kept off-site.
Following the 3-2-1 rule is a photographer’s best insurance against hardware failures and loss.
Looking Towards the Future of Photo Storage
While storage technologies will change drastically in the next decade, the core principles of organization, multiple backups, verification, and archive rotation will always apply.
We hope this article helped you find a storage solution for your photos, so you can get back out there and enjoy the process!
