One question we here a lot is "what do we do about backing up our images?” We often get a surprised look when we talk about the lengths we go to on the day of to protect our images but in my opinion it is paramount to what we do; protecting the images! I mean i bring two shirts, two suits, and to pairs of shoes to me to every wedding JUST in case!
I preach process, process, process! If any of you know me the slightest bit you will know that I am not a detail oriented person. So a process helps me get through from point A to point B. Otherwise I’d lay my camera and card down in two different places and never find them again. Hell, I can’t even begin to tell you where my camera is now… damnit. Regardless, process, process, PROCESS is the key!
Think about some of these things;
a. Where are my images stored?
b. How many cards to I shoot with on the day of?
c. How am I transporting my cards on the day of or after?
If you don’t have a definitive answer for this every single time I would encourage you to make a change!
SO, I am going to go look for my camera. And while I do that, here are three things you can do TODAY to ensure the integrity of your work after you have shot the wedding.
1. PROCESS PROCESS PROCESS - I already said it annoyingly enough but I can’t stress it! This begins before you book or show up to the wedding. Stop what you’re doing right now and think about what is your process for delivering the image? Now work backwards. For me when I get home my images go in two places. I store them locally, and then I store them on my Drobo. (4 4 TB hard drives) and then a background process runs when I go to bed that backs them up to the cloud. And when I delete things, and move files all depends on where I am in the process. Figure out whatever it takes, step by step, to ensure you are maximizing both your effort and efficiency!
2. Stop Shooting on 1 Card and Use 2 Cameras - Ugh. this one is super annoying. But I do it. 8 or 16Gb cards is all I shoot with. And they are labeled, Pre Ceremony, Ceremony, Reception, Portraits. But the purpose is if you lose 1 card, you don’t lose the whole wedding. Just a select few images from one camera.
3. Day of Storage - PROTECT YOUR CARDS! On the day of I carry my cards around in a super hard thick shelled card carrying case. I use this. It’s both shock and water proof. DO IT. BUY IT.
4. Use External Hard Drives - I use this one. For me, it works. We go through hundreds of weddings a year. So for me this is necessary. However, some of you can get away with 1 single 4 or 2TB hard drive. Buy whatever you need to make sure you aren’t storing images in one place. If your images are on your iMac only and your iMac crashed what will you do then?
5. The Cloud is Your Friend - As creepy as that sounds, cloud storage is a way to buy (cheaply) off site storage for “just in case” peace of mind. There are so so so many options. I use Crash Plan. It’s cheap and easy to access and store offsite. It takes a little time to setup and back up. But its well worth it!
Alright that’s it! Let me know if you have any questions, or let us know what services you use OR what works for you best!