# Reasons for making safe copies of photos



## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

" When you transfer the photos from the camera to the computer, copy all the photographs, un-retouched onto a separate hard drive or CD/DVD. Keep the copies as archive images. You will end up with two sets of everything; a working set and an archive set."
Good advice Donald ray: - I don't know how many times while teaching I have had students "lose" their originals (archival) shots and only have recompressed, altered copies to manipulate for assessment tasks.
My Olympus E500 has the jpeg/RAW setting and the RAW files are archived so that editing again later if I want to revisit images can be done on full information images. 
The edited images are stored as jpegs on my computer HD, the RAW images on an external drive kept away from the computer. RAW files can be anything up to 12- 15MB each @ 3264 x 2448 pixel count. Just as well larger storage devices are getting cheaper :grin:
With these larger size images it is imperative to have good system resources (minimum 2GB RAM) when using software such as Photoshop otherwise editing bogs down to a snail's pace - lotsa pixels to take care of in these images


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## dm01 (Oct 10, 2006)

Just be careful what external hard drive you use. I had a LaCie that died after two years, and I still have a lot of stuff on it that I really should get around to recovering. The drive won't power up, so I don't know how much I'll be able to recover with an internal installation.

CDs and DVDs don't last forever either. After about ten years, the coating oxidizes and starts flaking off, making a huge mess and ruining the disc.


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

Made it a new thread ZC
====================

It is all too easy to loose valuable files like photographs. How often do you hear of someone who have lost everything in a house fire - the thing I notice mostly commented on by the victims "We have lost all those treasured hotographs of the kids growing up!"

How many of us now keep the *only copies* of those treasures of our own on a single hard drive?

Some years back, I lost two HDs (C & D) at the same time due to power failures and a faulty motherboard. I lost hundreds of photos....

If you look at my 'My System' you will see my filing system.

I do a huge amount of photo & imaging work, not just for my own photos of family & fun, but I also run a large ecommerce website for a local woodworking machinery & exotic timber supplier. Every product get two images (250 pix and 450 pix) there are thousands of products. I get CDs & DVDs form machinery manufacturers. Some images I get are 40 - 50 Mb TIFFs & I have to render them down! 


BUT because of the criticality of the images to the website owner, I have to keep two safe copies as well as working copies. That is one heck of a strain on storage capacity - hence 2.35 TB spread across 5 drives.

You are right, the cost of storage has plummeted and getting an extra internal or external HD is now withing the realms of possibility for most folk together with extra memory...


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

dm01 said:


> Just be careful what external hard drive you use. I had a LaCie that died after two years, and I still have a lot of stuff on it that I really should get around to recovering. The drive won't power up, so I don't know how much I'll be able to recover with an internal installation.
> 
> CDs and DVDs don't last forever either. After about ten years, the coating oxidizes and starts flaking off, making a huge mess and ruining the disc.



Hi dm01 - welcome to the best the Photographer's Corner :wave:

This is a constant worry. I have a friend who is an archaeological photographer. He uses film for most critical work but digital for general stuff. The problem he (and the outfit he works for) is choosing the storage media. 

At the moment we all have the HD, DVDs but in 10 years time, technology marches on & even if CD/DVDs lasted indefinately, in 10/15 years time, the technology need to read them will probably be long gone. I have several 8" floppies but no way of reading them now.

Personally, I believe that as new storage technology comes on available, there will be backwardly compatible and that current data can be converted to new media & formats.


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

There is an increasing trend within all businesses that use digital images (and other data for that matter) to use offsite-online secure storage facilities to store the massive amounts of MB's (and indeed now TB's) of data that we seem to be able to accumulate.
There is also great concern about future forward/backward compatability of file types, media used etc. for archived material - I still have some unimportant but sometimes useful data stored on floppy discs but no longer have a floppy disc on my new comp :laugh:
Talking with archivists they are unsure of how this will unfold given the speed at which technology advances - most spend lots of time constantly upgrading material to new technology - floppy to CD to DVD to Blu Ray to ????? - and also file format changes.
Ahh! technology where would the job market be without it?
PS: thanks for the new thread Donald :grin:
and oops - didn't mean to repeat your info


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## SABL (Jul 4, 2008)

Just curiosity on my part.

Could a good argument be made for the suggestion of off-site storage at a reputable hosting site?? The cost of upgrades and maintanance is spread amongst the subscribers. Changing formats will be the host's problem and files will be redundant with storage in different locations. The potential for data loss is minimized??

I know there are drawbacks but at least your data should be well protected. The biggest factor will be speed... I don't care what bandwidth or connection you may have, you will be crawling along compared to accessing data that is stored on your own personal storage system. I'm so far behind I'm still storing pics on CD.. I remember when CD's arrived in the 80's and they could not be beat (audio). 

For the time-being my storage will remain low-budget, like my Sony DSC-V1. But I can do the bursts if I would ever REALLY read the manual. I only wish it would go on stand-by and not completely shut down when inactive for a few minutes. Battery?? No real issue there but the flash will kill it quick due to the fact that I have not utilitised the hot-shoe. Charging time for the capacitor (flash) is terrible and I miss many shots... I could probably do better with a Kodak Instamatic or my old Polaroid with the bar flash (5 shots). 

Thanks for putting up with me... I belong in this forum as much as I would belong in malware/trojan removal. 

Donald!! Woodworking tools/equipment?? You're more than likely talking industrial and CNC. Got a spare room in that castle of yours???... I'll get my passport in order:grin:


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## IanSavage (Feb 18, 2009)

When backing up my images, I keep the RAW images, the processed TIFF images and websized Jpegs. All are burnt onto DVD's as well as being backed up onto either an internal or external hard drive.

It does 'cost' me, but I'd rather makesure that if my PC fails, I'll still have backups of my work. The only thing which I'm not really protected against, is if the house burns down.

Ian


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

SABL said:


> Thanks for putting up with me... I belong in this forum as much as I would belong in malware/trojan removal.


This is your place just as much as anyone. :smile: :wave:


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

IanSavage said:


> The only thing which I'm not really protected against, is if the house burns down.
> 
> Ian


Fire is my worry too :sigh:


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## dm01 (Oct 10, 2006)

You mean you don't have a flood-proof, fire-proof, impact-proof, sixty-bazillion-digit combination-and-key safe?  Like this one: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/security/abd9/

Neither do I. I keep all of my valuables in a hole in the wall (quite literally).
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/security/855d/

ThinkGeek has the coolest stuff. I just found the best way to keep my keys near the door, because I never remember to pick them up on the way out. http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/security/b7c9/


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## zuluclayman (Dec 16, 2005)

Every month or so I back up my drives onto an external HD and take that to a relatives place for safe storage - just hope both our houses don't burn down inside a month :laugh:


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

dm01 said:


> Neither do I. I keep all of my valuables in a hole in the wall (quite literally).
> http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/security/855d/


I almost got one then I read that "money and jewlery not included." :grin:

Actually my dad used to do the same thing years ago. All he did was get a std wall outlet, cut a new hole, drop a cloth bag full of his valuables into the wall - the bag drops only to floor level, tie a string from the bag to the screw on the back of the outlet to allow retrieval. Total cost: <$5.00


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## dm01 (Oct 10, 2006)

You can do the same thing with a regular outlet as well, just make sure your bag and string aren't conducive to house current . It's completely undetectable.

My _real_ valuables are _behind_ the safe, you have to pull out the entire thingamajigger (and it isn't easy) to get to the good stuff.


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Please supply names and addresses in a plain brown envelope to Done_Fishin :laugh:


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## casey1977 (Apr 9, 2009)

I need some help in determining which internet storage site to use. I work for a company that has thousands of pictures that need to be accessed regularly. We want to store these pictures in an off site internet storage location that is easily accessed and searchable. Does anyone have any suggestions.


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

most storage sites that I know are for interactive use with links that allow a picture to be stored off site rather than a searchable site, but then again I don't know everything :laugh:

there are sites that seem to be searchable however they are linked to shared files rather than images. Most of those files are deemed to be unauthorised shares of copyright material so I would keep away from them. They also charge for their facilities


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## SABL (Jul 4, 2008)

@casey

I'm going to put a plug in for my favorite site:

http://www.smugmug.com/

Storage is unlimited and, I believe, views are also unlimited. The fee is rather nominal and many safeguards can be put in place. I am not affiliated with the site and they have no clue as to who I am..... I just like their site. Free sites will not do any justice to a serious photographer or any person promoting their goods or a cause. The site I mentioned allows the upload of originals for any client to scrutinise...... don't let your work get cut short. Your clients will not be subjected to advertisements or pop-ups.


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