Part 2: Image Backup & Protection
Let's face it....we don't think about long-term protection of our photos and/or digital files as often as we should. The fact of the matter is that "stuff" happens and we should be thinking about protecting our photos, slides, movies, and digital files. There are several methods of completing this task depending on what format your photos are currently in.
Protection for printed photos: To protect printed photos you could print doubles and put them in a safe place, which ideally should not be your house or wherever you have your original set. You may consider putting them in the bank safe deposit box or give them to a sibling or friend to hold at their house. Please remember that photos must be kept in a cool, dry location away from sunlight so basements, garages and attics are NOT the best location. Another option would be getting the photos as digital files. Most photo developers offer the option of getting the photos also put onto a CD or you could have them scanned in at a later date. These options would also work well for slides and old movies too. There are companies that specialize in converting slides and old movies into digital formats.
Protection for Digital Files: Protecting digital files involve backing up your files in some format. Repeat after me..."backing up your files"! If you only have your digital photos on your camera card - transfer them to your hard drive. You can set up file folders to store the photos in whatever way makes the most sense to you, whether it is by date, event or some other method of filing. Camera cards are NOT considered safe for long-term storage. Once the files are on your computer there are several options to backup your hard drive - copy to CD or DVD, copy to an external hard drive or use a third-party off-site online data management company.
- CD or DVD - Vary from about 5 to 17 mega bytes (MB) of storage depending on whether they are single or double-layered. They also come in a format that allows you to re-write on them. HINT: always handle the CD or DVD by the hole in the middle and the edges because you don't want to get greasy fingerprints on the media. ALSO - do NOT use permanent marker such as a Sharpie because the solvents in the ink will eat through the label! CDs and DVDs are best stored upright.
- External Hard drives - These are super easy to use. Typically they plug right into your USB port and you can copy files right to it. External drives typically range from 120 to 750 GB of storage with pricing ranging from under $70 to over $200.
- Online Data Storage - There are several companies that will store your data on their servers for a monthly or yearly fee. Your files get uploaded on a regular basis and stored on secure servers. You typically want to look for a company that uses an encryption code and has at least 128-bit SSL encryption during transmission. Services like this offer the benefit of convenient off-site storage. Prices vary from as low as $50 a year to over $200 a year for 10GB of storage.
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