Every photographer dreads the thought of losing photos due to a failed hard drive or other catastrophe. Protecting your work requires a defined, consistent workflow that goes beyond simply hitting ‘backup.’
Photographer and educator Tim Grey shares nine essential habits for saving photos to ensure the safety and longevity of your digital assets.
1. High Frequency
The most crucial step is to back up your photos frequently. If your most recent backup was six months ago, all the new or modified data you created since then may be lost in a drive failure. Get in the habit of backing up regularly to minimize the consequences of data loss.
2. Real-time Redundancy (RAID)
To ensure extremely frequent, almost instantaneous backups, consider using a real-time redundancy solution like RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Drives). RAID writes all data to two (or more) hard drives simultaneously. This provides a real-time backup and considerable peace of mind, though it should be part of a larger strategy.
3. Separate Media
It may seem obvious, but your backup copy must be stored separately from the original. Storing the original and the backup on the same hard drive means a single failure of that drive causes the loss of all copies. For maximum safety, ensure the drives are not permanently connected to the same computer, as a catastrophic computer issue could take out both internal drives.
4. Offsite Storage
Take the “separate media” concept a step further by keeping the backup hard drive at a separate physical location from the primary storage drive.
- This could be different parts of your house, your home and your studio, or the home of a friend or family member.
- Another excellent option is to use a “cloud” backup service, which stores your photos on redundant servers managed by a professional provider.
5. Variability (Synchronization & Incremental)
Instead of choosing between a full synchronization backup (where the backup matches the primary storage exactly) or an incremental backup (where only changes are copied), use both.
- Synchronization is fast and makes the backup drive instantly usable if the primary drive fails. However, it can duplicate mistakes, such as accidentally deleting a folder.
- Incremental backups help recover from mistakes or accidental deletions that might have been duplicated through synchronization.
6. Redundant Redundancy (Multiple Backups)
Having multiple backups provides an extra layer of protection. Tim Grey prefers to rotate through two or more backup drives (e.g., “Backup A” and “Backup B”). While “Backup A” is connected to the computer and being updated, “Backup B” is disconnected and potentially kept at an offsite location. This workflow mitigates more risks than a single backup copy.
7. Copy Instead of Move
To avoid data loss during file transfers, always copy photos instead of moving them.
- When downloading from a memory card, copy the photos to your hard drive (and ideally a second location) first. Only format the card in the camera once you are confident the photos are safely copied to two separate storage locations.
- Similarly, when transferring photos between hard drives (e.g., from a travel drive to a master drive), copy, don’t move. This preserves an extra backup copy for a longer period.
8. Extended Retention
Maintain extended retention for your extra backup copies. When you copy photos instead of moving them, you are essentially creating a temporary backup. Tim Grey recommends retaining these “extra” copies—like the ones on the travel drive or a temporary backup folder—for as long as possible. Don’t delete them until you absolutely need to free up hard drive space, as they offer an additional precaution.
9. Consistency
The absolute most important habit is consistency. An excellent backup plan is meaningless if you don’t follow it. Define a workflow that meets your needs, and then execute that workflow consistently. This will give you the ultimate confidence that the risk of losing your photographic images is minimal.
These tips are a condensed version of a three-part series from photofocus on saving photographs. As discussed, most photographers fear the prospect of a failed hard drive or crash. This series covered frequency, redundancy, and the concept of “separate media”.
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About Tim Grey
Tim Grey is a photographer and educator who enjoys traveling the world in search of interesting experiences and photographic opportunities.
He has written eighteen books for photographers, published more than one hundred video training courses, and has had hundreds of articles published in magazines such as Digital Photo Pro and Outdoor Photographer, among others. Tim also publishes the daily (and free) Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter, the monthly Pixology digital magazine, and a wide variety of video training courses through his GreyLearning website.
Tim teaches through workshops, seminars, and appearances at major events around the world. Learn more at his website.