jcwall396 Loc: Roswell, GA

Morning, Hoggers. I typically travel with a MacBook Pro and download my photos from SD card to the laptop every night, then back that up to a portal SanDisk SSD drive. I also keyword my photos every night so I can remember what I saw, where I saw, etc. Then I wipe the card and start over the next day. But this laptop is heavy, and I'm trying to lighten my load. I could get a MacBook Air which would save some weight, but I'd like to eliminate that completely and figure out a way to handle my photos while I'm on the road. For those of you who have that scenario, what do you do? Do you use a separate SD card for each day? Do you download to an iPad or another device? How do you track what you saw? I can use a travel diary, I guess....any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

32GB SanDisk Extreme Pro SD cards are cheap enough, just buy enough to the duration of your trip.

jcwall396 Loc: Roswell, GA

That's pretty much what I was thinking but wanted to ask if any of you guys had any better ideas. I already have several as backups, so it would be much less expensive - and heavy - to get a few more. Thanks for the response.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

There are advantages to your approach of downloading and keywording the images in (almost) real time. However, wiping the card after downloading robs you of a backup. Cards are light and easy to carry. Get extras.

If you have memory problems and/or don't want to carry your MBP either get a lighter computer for travel or keep a travel diary. I would try to use the computer, since it becomes more nearly a one-step process. You do everything in real time and when you get home it's merely a matter of downloading your images to your master disk and merging your catalog to preserve keywords (and maybe even edits). And your computer gives you some flexibility while travelling and also provides you with your second copy for backup.

I have a 16" MBP and my wife has a 14" Air. The smaller one isn't really THAT much smaller but it is not that hard to fit into luggage. The new models have really great battery life so you might not even need a charger for a short trip.

jcwall396 Loc: Roswell, GA

DirtFarmer, that's exactly the approach I've been taking for several years. And I also keep a travel diary on my computer, which is accessible from my iPhone and iPad, so I could still use the diary without the laptop. As you said, the MacAir really isn't that much smaller / lighter than the MacBook Pro and I'd rather spend that $2,000 on something else....

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I also recommend using GPS on your camera. If it doesn't have it built in there are ways to match the photos to your smartphone. GPS helps you remember at least where a shot was taken. If you don't like GPS you can wipe it in post.

jcwall396 Loc: Roswell, GA

Great idea. I'm shooting mirrorless, but am very careful to always turn the camera off when I'm not snapping a photo. I've gotten tremendous battery life out of my camera that way.

bikerguy

While Paul is correct one could carry lots of sd cards, I use a different method and have for several years with slight iterations. Using a smart phone or tablet, an on the go plugs with an sd card slot and usb port and two ssd. Daily I backup that day's shooting to the two ssd. I prefer this method to carrying lots of sd cards and keeping track of them. Also, I always keep the two ssd in separate locations.

BruceT4891

I use a card reader to upload my pictures to my iPhone, which then sends them to the cloud. You need a card reader that works with the phone. You can probably do something similar with an Android phone.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

I am not particularly fond of formatting a memory card. Even after you downloaded all your photos to a hard drive, I like the redundancy. They worst that could happen is if the hard drive gets corrupt and you lost ALL you work. I have a dozen or more card holders. Each is dated and numbered. I breathe easier.

marine73 Loc: Modesto California

My camera uses CF cards and I have a couple of 32 GB and a couple of 64 GB cards, I create a new file on the card when I go a new area or for the next day. When I get home I use a card reader to download the DCIM files to my computer. The down side is if the card gets damaged or lost before I get home

Housty Loc: Ontario

I have found cards on the ground that others have lost. I always try to identify the photographers so I can return the cards but have not been able to. Once in LA I found a card with some great and very professional photography, couldn’t identify the owner. What a loss! I prefer to download into my Mac while in the hotel room at night and even do a little sorting and Photoshop work.

bikerguy

My OM-1 has two card slots so every image is saved to both cards. Even so, every evening I still copy that day's shots to two ssd. My process is that I first save from the sd card to one of the ssd and then change the ssd and again save from the sd to the second ssd. I also only reformat the sd cards if I run our of cards. I much prefer to have too many copies than none due to a bad card. It takes under 30 minutes a night and I do not even need to be there except to change the ssd.

goldstar46 Loc: Tampa, Fl

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Dear JC...

FYI ~~ Only, this is just my current methodology

I travel with a DELL Laptop, a Canon EOS R5, and a Samsung S23 Ultra cellphone with shoots 50Meg RAW
.... Have an upcoming trip planned to Europe, the North area, and Mediterian, ending in Italy for 6 wks

I have arranged for 'cards' to have 2-1TB CFExpress, which will stay in my R5 and never be erased
.... I have 10 SD Cards ranging from 256kb to 125kb, along with 'card cases' which hold all

Images taken on my Cell Phone will be auto-loaded into my cloud account as taken...
... Images taken on my R5, will be offloaded onto my Laptop nightly
.... Finished images will be uploaded either from my Cell or Laptop which has a '5G cell modem' also

In addition to the above, additional "Timely" backup will be sent to the 'companion' 2TB SSD Drive

YES ~ I have the extra weight of the 3.5LBs of the Laptop but, that stays in my cruise stateroom at all times

As for me... "BACKUP" and redundancy are "KEY" -- That is "Just ME!"
I once had my laptop "die" on a trip to Paris, France, and swore I would always have an alternative.
... As you can see ~ there are "TONS" of redundancy in the above for sure.
... I do firmly appreciate everyone's own approach and what they do.

Hope you find your solutions and by all means, have a wonderful trip...

Cheers
Goldstar46
George Veazey
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JimRPhoto Loc: Raleigh NC

Hi JC. Since I carry an iPad anyway, I use that for my trip backup. There is a simple SD card input accessory sold by Apple to make this easy. However, I have learned not to edit on the iPad as the process often results in a much lower resolution. But it’s a great way to actually preview your photos at the end of each day. Hope this helps. JimR