You got your wedding photos and you are freakin in love with them. You post a select few on your social media and change your iphone wallpaper to a cute pic of you two in a field during golden hour. But you’ve forgotten to do one of the most important things after receiving your photos (apart from leaving me a great review, heh). BACKING UP YOUR PHOTOS.
Here’s my ‘not a photographer beginner’s tips’ to saving your photos like a pro. I deliver all my photos (including engagement, couples, and families) using an online gallery but it’s also SUPER IMPORTANT you back up your photos once you receive them. Even if you’ve downloaded them onto your laptop, you risk losing them if, say, you spilt orange juice all over it or it suddenly crashes as technology loves to pull a prank on us sometimes. Here are some tips on how to best store your wedding photos.
p.s. this is a real life pic of me in my office – joggers with loads of cotton balls on it, hair a mess, normally sitting cross-legged or squatting on my chair, with a cuppa coffee.
1. Backup your photos on at least two reliable devices. The place you store your photos matter.
Here’s the first rule: the more backups you have, the better. When I come home from a shoot I like to back up my photos in at least 3 different places (even if it means staying up till 2am after shooting a wedding). You’ll never know what will happen so I suggest that you save your photos on a USB AND a hard drive, as well as your computer. USB’s don’t have to be boring. If you want a fancy shmancy crystal USB stored in a cute wooden box, I work with an awesome supplier who handcrafts these little chums. They’re available as an add-on to your package.
Here’s the second thing: the place you store your photos matter. If you upload all your photos onto Facebook, the resolution of your photos will dramatically decrease. Meaning if you were to download your photos again from Facebook, chances are you can’t really do much with them (like enlarging it into a massive wall hanging) because your photos have become so small and lost most of its detail. Soooo, back up your photos on a USB or hard drive, not on social media platforms.
2. Print your photos.
Photos are meant to be printed, not stored on your laptop. Physical photos like albums, prints, and framed wall art are much more likely to be looked at, relived and shared whenever family + friends come round (extra brownie points if you make a scrapbook). I guarantee you your photo album will be your pride and joy sitting on your coffee table. Plus your photos will still be there even if your laptop decides to breakdance.
I recognise the important of printing your photos, so I gift all my wedding clients fine art prints of their fave pics in an elegant faux leather pouch. They’re printed using archival quality materials so I’m basically gifting the gift of a lifetime.
3. Save your photos on an online storage space.
Use an online backup service like Google Drive, Dropbox or iCloud AS WELL AS your two reliable devices. Using a combo of different storage solutions means a higher chance of retrieving lost photos. These online services are designed to retain most of the detail and quality of your large files. So, like before, use an online backup service rather than uploading your photos onto Facebook (this message is specifically for my mum).
4. Rinse and repeat. Do this with all your photos.
Your iphone pics, your holiday photos which still somehow remains on your camera’s SD card, your photos from a summer bbq which only lives on an old USB stick. I’m sure all your photos hold memories special + important to you, so let this blog post be a reminder to look after your photos so you can keep looking back at them foreverrr.
heather sham x
Modern and natural Wedding Photographer in London | Non-traditional Wedding photographer in Surrey UK | Wedding tips and advice | London engagement photographer
