7 Simple Steps to Backing Up Your Photos
In an age where our lives are increasingly digital, our photo collections have grown larger and more precious than ever before. From family gatherings to exotic vacations, these images capture cherished memories that we never want to lose. But what happens if your phone is lost, your computer crashes, or your cloud storage experiences an issue? That's why it's crucial to have a reliable backup plan for your photos. In this blog, we'll guide you through seven simple steps to ensure your photo memories are safe and sound.
1/ Gather & evaluate Your Photo Collection
Before diving into the backup process, take some time to assess the size and scope of your photo collection. Knowing how many photos and videos you need to back up will help you choose the most suitable backup solution. Start by going through every hard drive, computer, thumb drive, and cloud storage, and make a note of how many photos and videos are in each. You can assume photos to be around 5MB each and videos vary depending on their length.
Our process is to gather all the data in one place so start with a brand new, reliable external hard drive.
2/ Choose a backup LOCATION, OR TWO
We highly recommend the 3-2-1 backup solution. 3 copies of your data, on 2 different types of storage media, and 1 copy of the data is sent off-site.
External Hard Drives are a great solution, but make sure to store this one elsewhere in case of a natural disaster. This budget-friendly one from Seagate is a good one. If your budget can afford it, this one from Macsales is our favorite. It’s reliable and super fast.
You may consider Cloud Storage Services: Online platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud are all accessible.
If privacy is a factor, you can set up a Network Attached Storage (NAS) which can safely back up all your assets, locally. A NAS is a dedicated device connected to your home network for centralized storage. Most NAS solutions also have a private cloud storage backup solution.
Secondary Computer: Another computer or device where you can store your photos.
3/ Automate Regular Backups
To ensure you don't forget to back up your photos, set up automatic backups. Many cloud storage services offer this feature, allowing you to schedule regular backups of your entire photo library.
4/ Use backup software
We highly recommend, and use, Backblaze to back up all of our computers here at Picturli, as well as our clients’ computers.
5/ Test your backup
Periodically test your backups to ensure they are working correctly. Try restoring a few photos to confirm that the process is seamless and that your photos are intact.
6/ Maintain multiple copies
Are we repeating ourselves? Yes, we are. We can’t stress enough the importance of ensuring that your photos and videos are properly backed up and accessible. OK, we promise not to repeat this if you’re going to promise to do it.
7/ Understanding - sync vs backup
Think of syncing as a 2-way highway. You take a photo and it syncs to the cloud. You delete the photo and since it’s synced, it’s deleted from that cloud storage. A proper backup is a one-way highway and it’s intentional. You intentionally choose the items to back up your photo hub.
Remember, backing up your photos is not a one-time task; it's an ongoing commitment to safeguard your precious memories. By following these seven simple steps and staying consistent with your backup routine, you can rest assured that your photos will be safe and accessible for generations to come. Don't wait until it's too late—start backing up your photos today!