Build A Better Backup Plan - 12/10/07elpt
|
|
|
By William Sawalich
|
Its
a shame that being a digital photographer entails a whole lot more than
just shooting pictures. Concerns over where to store all those
photosnot to mention how to make sure theyre around in years to come so that you can find themare as much a part of photography today as
-stops and shutter speeds ever were. Consequently, I have a relatively
healthy backup and storage plan for archiving and finding all my
digital image files. On a monthly basis, I copy all of my new photo
files to an external hard drive, and back them up in duplicate on DVD
disks. As Blu-ray and HD DVD become more attainable, my process is sure
to get quicker and simpler. But for now, my methodknock on woodseems to
work pretty well. When it comes time to find the files, I have a
document index of the pertinent keywords, usually organized by client,
subject and date. Naming the files appropriately in the first place
makes it easy to return to those photos months and years down the road.
Whats your preferred storage, backup and retrieval plan? If you
havent started thinking about it yet, theres no better time than now.
Otherwise youll soon find yourself mired in the digital equivalent of
a pile of unmarked negatives. And if -- like the many other millions of people are saving your images to CD or DVD -- it is important to purchase an archival grade disc. Verbatim has what they call Verbatim UltraLife Gold Archival Grade CD and DVD-R, or Delkin Devices Archival Gold DVDs and CDs the supposedly protect your images for more than 100 years.
Screenshot of external photo archive
|