Tuesday Tip: Backup

I can't tell you how many times I have been thankful for being obsessive about backing up my images. If you haven't ran into this issue yet personally or professionally with images or other files - well your time is running out! The day's of only worrying about your family photos burning in a fire or being lost in a flood are gone. Now, a simple power-outage, computer failure, or hard drive crash can be devastating!

What can you do? BACK them UP!

Here are some great options: Share images with friends and family.

• I create disks to send to several members of my family on a regular basis so that if something happens on my end (like an act of nature) my images are stored off site - safe and sound with Gma.
• Utilize a remote drive. I have a network drive that backs up all my files each night while I am sleeping. It turns on automatically, backs up... and then turns off. 
• Utilize online storage. This is great for images - you can upload and download as needed on several sites. Do you research and don't count this as your main source- we are already seeing companies merging or closing and files being deleted, or account passwords being lost. 
• Safety Deposit box. I used to teach to burn a disk/ dvd of images and put them in a fire safe box... now there are better larger options... and disks and Dvd's will eventually be replaced by the smaller thumbs and media storage devices. Regardless of what you use to put the images on - getting them into a firesafe box or a safety deposit box off site is a good plan

I would suggest choosing several options. I do. I never count on one "backup" there is safety in knowing that I have options if something goes wrong.  I take the same care with my client photos backing up final copies and originals in several secure ways. In fact. I schedule one day each month as an "office" day and I verify my remote drive is backing up, I burn DVD's for my file, export to a HD for the fire box, and generally back up everything for that past month.

The one thing that I will also tell you - I firmly believe the best gift you can give is a photograph, and it isn't a photograph till you can hold it in your hand. Print your images when you give them to someone! Take the time to put together a book, or album of your visit with them and they will cherish it! Plus, its one more item you have "just in case"!

Happy Back up day!