Gemgirl1 Loc: Grand Rapids, MI & Shalimar, FL

I would be interested in how everyone stores their photographs. What system do you use? Cloud, external hard drive, etc. I would appreciate detailed info since I am a beginner to all of this but desperately need help since I have 20,000 pictures on my MacBookPro and am concerned that I might loose them to a crash or something which would be tragic. We do have a 2 TB Time Capsule that does automatic backups (would that mean it backs up my pictures and how would I check that) and I have a 1 TB external Porsche Design that I have not used yet because I am trying to find out how best to lay out the back up on the disk. I also have a WD external that became to small to back up on. Thank you in advance for your help.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

I would suggest you do a "COPY" to the unused 1T drive of all your photos as a start, then pick your desired filing criteria, I do date shot, subject or location, do only one drive at a time, Bob.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

I run an IMAC system here using Lightroom to manage my image library.

Lightroom and all programs stored on my internal 1 TB drive
Image library stored on an external thunderbolt drive
Time Machine backup on an external Firewire 2 TB drive

I store all my images on my external Thunderbolt drive, my Time Machine has been set to include the external image folder from the Thunderbolt drive, so every hour any additions/changes are added to my TM backup.

I also keep an external USB drive disconnected and stored in a fire proof box to backup my image library, Lightroom catalog and other important data in case of a loss monthly - it is a full backup, not an incremental, so it ends up a copy of the library and catalog at the point in time it was taken.

I upload finished images to my flickr account, not really as on line storage, but as sharing. In a pinch it would act as online storage for what was uploaded though originals would not be there.

I am just beginning to think about going with online storage, but am still researching/thinking. I looked at Amazon Prime photo storage, but the interface is all manual and web based, so it is out at this point.

My ideal would be a client app that runs in the background and keeps my library in sync automatically.

Note: If you use Time Machine to backup - you need to INCLUDE any external disk if your images are on them as the default ignores other external drives.

To confirm what is there, either browse the Time Machine partition with Finder, or enter Time Machine like you were doing a restore and see if the files are there, you can browse whats there without doing a restore.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Computer: last year RAW and jpg (also backed up)
BAckup drives 1TB and 2TB: JPG and important RAW
Smugmug: JPG

nikonwaddy

One of the things I am finally learning is that my 20,000-30,000 saved images should only be around 500 or so. I am devoting this winter to go back and be brutally honest about what images are worth saving, will have any use to me in the future or whether I will ever view them again. May I respectfully recommend that after an honest viewing and reality check you consider doing the same. It takes hand-wringing, reflection and courage to do this and it "ant easy" but after this process you will only need a couple of multi terra exhd's for your storage needs.

This from a mostly studio shooter hobbyist only who takes his very best images to print. If your a pro, putting groceries on the table with your photography, I can see where your needs would be considerably different.

Gemgirl1 Loc: Grand Rapids, MI & Shalimar, FL

Thank you Bob I appreciate your input and that sounds like a fine idea and as you say it is a start. This will show you that you are dealing with a real beginner here. When you say do one drive at a time what does that mean? Sorry, but my husband set up all the back up stuff some time ago and I was not involved so when I say I need details I really mean it...........LOL!!!!! Christine

Gemgirl1 Loc: Grand Rapids, MI & Shalimar, FL

Thank you for the nice details I will share this with my husband also since he set up the Time Machine. I also need to do a lot of house cleaning with the photos because I just put them in iPhoto for now and do no renaming so they are just numbers and are by date shot so some organization is in definite order. Can you select a few pictures here and there and put them on an external....for example I am a jeweler and would like to move some of those photos off first how would I go about that? We just bought Creative Cloud so I need and want to learn both Lightroom and Photoshop. Thanks for your help. Christine

Gemgirl1 Loc: Grand Rapids, MI & Shalimar, FL

Thank you for your input.

Christine

Gemgirl1 Loc: Grand Rapids, MI & Shalimar, FL

I hear what you are saying and know that to be true but a friend of mine who is a professional Nature photographer said that I should keep everything.......but he shoots RAW which I have not yet done so maybe saving JPEG because your manipulation is limited is a different story.

nikonwaddy

I followed the keep everything advice myself till I drowned in unused images. There maybe a little more sense in keeping all landscapes (stitching, pano's, stacking, etc) but for my studio shots I have vowed to exercise a lot more discipline in what I ultimately keep.

Other then editing ability between RAW and JPEG the main difference between them for storage issues is file size.

Gemgirl1 Loc: Grand Rapids, MI & Shalimar, FL

Thank you......I know that RAW uses a lot more space. I appreciate your advice.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

I would not use any 'backup software' do a real copy using the operating system, I was taught it was the safest about 30? years ago and has never messed me up, when you organize by date or whatever criteria you decide do it only to one set of photos, maybe the computer hard drive set, I actually disconnect the power from my external drive photo backup drive when I am not carefully copying from or to it that way your "backup" is safe, nothing wrong with two separate backups either, Bob.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Not a bad idea, however I would caution about doing this too soon after shooting, some are obvious, blurry , wrong subject etc however some shots need time to get perspective, if it's a hard choice I wait a year or so and re-review, Bob.

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

I actually use two externals. I had one fail not long ago and fortunately my photos were backed up to a second external and to DVD so everything is still there.

Frankly I don't trust anyone's "cloud".

nikonwaddy

Exactly BobM....I have found this to be true also. Sometimes it takes a while to catch something really pleasing about a capture you missed before and with me a few times I actually like the image better then the one I selected to keep in the first place. The main thrust of my comment is to be honest with your self and if a pic has obvious flaws..exposure, focus, blur or just uninteresting....delete it soon. As I mention I shoot mostly studio, portraiture, art/glam nude etc and when I first started doing this I hated to get rid of any of the shots. Sometimes I would shoot 100-150 shots, cull out 20 I thought the best and print 1 or 2. My goal now is just to keep the 10 or 20 best and send the rest to the great electron cemetery.