Smartphone

Digital photography for the majority of consumers is only about 10 years old. The idea of long term data storage is a new concept for most people, but we are being forced to learn about these methods and services to preserve family memories.

Storing digital photographs is a new skillset for the average consumer. For the first 150 years of photography, we stored images in generally the same way. The image was burned onto a substrate and there was a physical record of the image. These images took up space, but were more stable than the images we take today.

We are taking more images with these cameras always in our pockets, a lot more images. Estimates suggest that we took about 1.2 trillion images last year, that number doubled in only 6 years from 2013 estimates. With all of these images, how do we keep track of the images that are important to us?

Digital data is much more convenient than the glass or film images used to be stored on, but it is also more vulnerable. In this new age of photography, we are faced with file corruption, hard drive failure, and the simple human nature of not moving content when a device is upgraded. Storing images is no longer a passive exercise. A glass negative from 1850 could be put in a drawer and forgotten about, taken out today, scanned, and the image could be easily replicated. Now think about your first smart phone or early digital camera. Where are those images from just 15 years ago?

These are the issues we are facing as all images are taken and stored digitally. Below are some resources on backing up images, but the first step is making backup a part of your digital routine. These principles are geared towards digital images, but it’s just as important to backup your business data. Backup solutions are an area of expertise at Quanexus. If thinking about storing your family pictures gets you thinking about how your business stores data, give us a call.

Local Backup

An external hard drive is normally the first solution consumers turn to. A local backup is generally inexpensive and reliable. If you use a separate digital camera that produces large files, a local backup solution is a must. External hard drives need to be replaced every 3-5 years and the data should be backed up in more than one place.

Cloud Backup

There are many options for cloud storage, some of them may be included in services you are already paying for. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, they offer full resolution unlimited photo storage. Google offers free storage up to 15 gigs, then adds a fee for more storage. Google does offer unlimited photo backup with their Photos app in their recommended compression. Office 365 has 1 TB of storage for members with OneDrive. Flickr used to be a good option, but has been losing market share and most users are vacating this platform. Last year Flickr began deleting images of users who were not paying for the service. If you only take pictures on your smartphone, a cloud backup could be your primary solution. Most unlimited cloud services limit file formats to keep professionals from uploading large camera RAW files.

Print Photos

We don’t need to develop and print images any longer in order to view them, but printing the images most important to you is another way of backing up those images. Luckily, we don’t need to keep track of stacks of 4×6 glossy snapshots any longer. There are many great online services as well as stores that offer photo book creation. Look for words like “archival, giclee, or pigment ink” for longevity. The prints from the quick printer at the drug store are not made for long term image retention. 

Ultimately a combination of all three of these options will ensure the greatest longevity. Spreading your data out and sharing it with others is the best way to ensure you will still have those memories down the road. Many of the cloud services have options to share folders with other family members.

It might be time to upgrade that old external hard drive that has been making weird noises lately. You already have Prime for their other services, so downloading the Photos app and letting it pull your images gives you another place your images are backed up. And as part of your year end clean up, you create a photo book of the most important images from last year. Keeping backup in your digital data routine and spreading the data out will go far in preserving memories.

At Quanexus we specialize in backup solutions. We help our clients with a combination of a cloud, local, and remote backups weighing the longevity, cost, and data needs for each business. You can use these same tactics with your personal and family photos to ensure they will be enjoyed for generations.