{Please note that the images in this post have nothing to do with backing up data, other than the fact that I’d be very sad if I lost them! However this is a photographer’s blog, and I’d feel funny blogging without any images! The images today are some recent ones I snapped while flying around Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. -J.}
An email I received from a client earlier this week made me think that it was time to make a blog post on preserving digital data. Anyone who follows my Facebook Page already knows that I make a quick status update from time to time with a somewhat stern warning saying, “Back up your photographs RIGHT NOW”. I usually post this message after I’ve received yet another ,“OMG my hard drive exploded and I lost everything!” email from someone. It’s not a matter of “if” a hard drive will fail, it’s a matter of “when”! I’m going to take a quick detour from blogging about recent sessions to remind all of my blog readers to please, please, PLEASE invest the time to make duplicate digital copies of EVERYTHING that is important to you!!!
Backing up digital images is very important; in fact I can’t even begin to stress how important it is! Experts estimate that most of the images being taken right now, using digital means, will be forever lost in the future. As physically fragile as a 35mm film negative may seem, it is a lot more durable than a CD or a hard drive; in turn that means we should all take extra measures to preserve our digital images for future generations.
I currently enclose a warning letter with any digital images that have been purchased on disc that explains that you only have a few days to back them up, and that ordering a new copy down the line will incur an additional fee. I don’t do this to send anyone into panic mode, nor do I intend for it to be a cash grab. Okay, that’s only half true – I hope that the thought of losing your photos does make you panic just enough to take action immediately and make those extra copies of your disc! 
The reason I ask for you to take action right away is because I don’t want anyone to be put it off for too long. Even though I check that each disc works properly before it leaves my hands, I want to make sure you have the opportunity to put it to use and make sure it is compatible with whatever computer system you happen to use.
A secondary reason is because the hard drives in my office are only so big and I am forced to clean them off on a regular basis. As a result, I outsource some of my back ups to secure, remote servers (yes plural – one lone back up copy of a file isn’t adequate for my needs). The upside is that a copy of all of my images should, all things being equal, be retained for quite some time; probably and hopefully for many years. The downside is that it is significantly more expensive, and time consuming, to retrieve a copy from those archives than it is to upload and host them. While the cost to keep a back up for a lengthy time period is factored into my business model, the cost to retrieve a copy of an entire session from the archives is simply too great for a business the size of mine to absorb on a regular basis. As a result, I’m forced to pass that cost on to you if the need does arise to retrieve your images (and I truly hope that won’t be required!) Needless to say, it’s much more convenient and cost effective for my clients to back up their images themselves in a few places, than it is to just hope that their lone DVD copy will be readable in years to come (because in all honestly, it probably will fail after just a few years.)
At last count, eight different individuals I know personally lost everything on their hard drive in the past twelve months, and that many more suffered partial losses of important data. With the relatively low cost of external hard drives, archival DVDs and off-site storage these days, this really shouldn’t be happening to anyone. That’s by no means a judgement call; image back up is a daunting task, especially if you’re starting from scratch! I realize that backing everything up can be overwhelming if you’ve never done it before, so here’s a few easy suggestions to get started. These are by no means the only ways, or even the very best ways, but I do believe they are all practical, and accessible methods for most people.
- PRINT YOUR IMAGES. This is probably the easiest, and most cost-effective over the long run. I highly recommend investing in “real” photo prints, versus ink jet prints, which are far less durable. You don’t have to print every single image you’ve taken; choose a few favourites from each month and store the prints in a photo-safe, archival box (or album) to enjoy for years to come!
- EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES. Many external hard drives sold today include automatic back up software (for both Mac and PC platforms). In fact a lot of computers sold today also have similar software already installed; you just need to provide an external hard drive to use it. It may initially take a long time to back everything up (12+ hours) but after that initial time investment, your scheduled back ups will be fairly quick (a few minutes a day.) If you go this route, please don’t skip the back up “until next time” if you are prompted – you may not get a next time! If your computer runs slow during the back up, schedule it for the time of day when you plan to be sleeping so it doesn’t disrupt your workflow.
- AUTOMATED, ONLINE, SECURE STORAGE. There are countless of these services on the market, so I won’t recommend any specific one, but a quick search should lead you to something suitable. This is becoming much more viable to everyone as dedicated “high speed” internet service reaches even the most remote geographic locations. There are various levels of service and fees for uploading files, downloading files, or both between the many service providers so choose wisely!
- ARCHIVAL QUALITY DISCS. Invest in gold, archival quality discs to store your photographs (not just gold coloured for aesthetics; real gold is actually used to make them!) These discs are physically superior to the ones you buy at most stores because they don’t oxidize and degrade from the elements quite as easily, but I should mention that like any disc, gold discs can still be scratched or warp from heat!
These are by no means the only way to preserve your digital data, but chances are it will get you started on the right track! I also should add the disclaimer that my recommendations are geared towards individual needs; professional photographers typically use a far more comprehensive back up system than what you might use for your personal snapshots!
I hope this post helps inspire you to back up your images, and to avoid becoming a statistic!
I’ll be back soon with images of a sweet little newborn and his family! In the mean time, I hope you all take some time out of your busy lives to back up your priceless digital image files sooner than later!
Until next time,
Janet
P.S. The Caribbean Ocean or Northern Manitoba? It’s hard to believe but this beautiful turquoise water is the actual colour (not a Photoshop® trick!) of Clearwater Lake located in The Pas, Manitoba!
Get in touch!
Get in touch!
Email: info@northof55fineartphotography.com / Portfolio: www.northof55fineartphotography.com
Office: 1 (204) 480-1837
Facebook: www.facebook.com/northof55photography / Twitter: northof55photo
