What to do with all your images

It is often overlooked by photographers starting out, as well as those who are on a more avid level, that storage of images is very important and needs to be taken into consideration early in the game. Devices, such as mobile phones and digital cameras are becoming more advanced, delivering better quality photos to the end user. As a result, file sizes have become larger as the images contain more information, in turn, which has led to the demand for larger memory cards. Once an image is edited, it needs to be stored in a safe place. An edited image are often large, especially when saved in a format for printing. Even jpegs are becoming large in size. Most photographers today prefer to shoot in a RAW format on their camera, which will result in an even larger image size once edited.

Saving photographs on your Computer or on your Mobile phone

Outright, let me say this is definitely a bad idea. The computer will become sluggish and very slow in the way it responds, and will probably start crashing. This is due to overload. The same applies to your mobile device. You have only one choice once your images have been downloaded and edited on your computer, and that is to file them in an order that makes sense to you, and to get them off your computer or device as fast as possible and on to either an external hard drive, or move them to the cloud for safe keeping. Hint… never delete images from your memory card, always format the card to avoid the glitches that will follow. Did you know that your memory card can last forever if it is looked after, so don’t throw money down the drain.

Choosing the Best Storage Option for your Needs

Depending on the size and volume of your images that you are wishing to save, you can determine which option is best, either a hard drive or the cloud. Hard drives today are generally of a solid-state construction and technology, designed to last with few moving parts. They are reliable and fast. There are many different hard drive brands and options available, ranging from those with small storage facilities, through to the more generous sizeable options for those requiring more space to store their images. Most hard drives today are light and very portable, making this a common choice by most photographers. Also, the best cost effective solution for storage.

The cloud is the second option. If you have a mobile device, you will normally receive a small amount of free space or data reserved for the cloud every month. This is perfect for storing your images. The cloud is a safe bet, but it comes as at price for those requiring large amounts of storage space. Although hard drives are more cost effective and have the advantage of being portable for storage, they can crash, while the cloud is virtual. Depending again on the image sizes and the number of images, you can decide which option best suites your needs. Images that are captured using your mobile are very small in size so the free space on the cloud should be sufficient to store many photographs without any hassle. This would apply to the hobbyist photographer who shoots in jpg for the likes of social content and leisurely fun experiences

For those agencies and professional photographers who are involved in building stock libraries, there is the dedicated server option, where images are stored for your convenience on a dedicated server that is independently managed. This might be a great option which is safe and easy to administer and manage, but it comes with huge price tag and some “tech knowledge”. As this is a  more common choice than the cloud for hosting large image banks and photo libraries, I suggest you do some serious research  before spending that whack of cash on an installation. My advice is going by word of mouth if possible and feel out what works for your needs. This has helped me in making such decisions where the adverts and marketing behind the brands left uncertainty in my mind. Tech at this level is forever moving forward with something bigger and faster to offer, so stay on top where possible, and remember, this is always an “ongoing experiment” and learning curve in an attempt to have the best…

Personally, my advice is to rather invest in a decent size hard drive that is reliable, stable and portable. Generally the choice of most photographers across the board.