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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 06:25 AM
This has got to be on here somewhere but not finding it with a search.
Want to use my Facebook less, or maybe even delete it completely. I think I only use it anymore to save and back up my photos, which I don't even like doing very much because there's such a lack of privacy - not to mention I don't want to seem like an attention whore. It's just been the lazy default for me.
I'm also trying to take more photos of my travels now because I regret not taking them on a lot of my earlier adventures (I know I'll appreciate them when I'm old).
What's the best and cheapest online option for backing up your photos? I don't mind paying a monthly fee but if I can avoid it that would be nice. At the very least, it would be good to use a service where I can rest assured all my photos won't disappear completely if I miss a payment for some reason.
Suggestions?
I suppose another option would be to just fill up flash drives and ship them "home" - then they wouldn't have to be online at all, and I could delete them off my computer after receiving word that they reached their destination.
I'm sure one of you guys has figured out a great way for doing this. Eventually I'd like to print the best ones out and put them in albums like the old days, but while I'm roaming around the world that's hardly practical.
Beyond All Seas
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling
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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 06:32 AM
Dropbox.
It's cheap per month, I think I pay 12 bucks/per month for 50GBs of space. For free I believe they give you 1-2GBs.
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08-19-2013, 07:05 AM
Yeah, pretty much any cloud storage service will give you a few GB free. Doesn't the 1TB on Flickr come with some restrictions or hoops to jump through - I'm sure I read something about that?
EDIT: seems like the only downside to Flickr is ads, but those can be eliminated with AdBlock. There may be a 300MB/month upload limit - conflicting views about that.
Box.com has 5GB free and an Android app so anything (pics or data) on your phone can be uploaded instantly if you have a data connection. I guess others have that facility too.
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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 07:09 AM
My dropbox is already pretty used up. Maybe I'll just open another account with a separate email.
EDIT: I'll check out box.com. 5gb free is pretty good.
Beyond All Seas
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling
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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 07:12 AM
By the way, if anyone else is considering deleting their Facebook, you can request them to send you your files and they'll deliver a .zip folder to your email account with all your photos you've uploaded over the years. I've requested it a couple times before just in case something happens with Facebook.
Beyond All Seas
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling
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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 11:34 AM
+1 for dropbox. I have it set up where when I plug in my iphone/camera to my computer it uploads them right in. If you have a Macbook you can also just use SD cards or a portable harddrive. I tried using Google but Picasa is getting worse and worse. iCloud and iPhoto suck pretty bad too, even when you are only using Apple hardware and software. Some people like Flickr, but I have never spent the time to try it out.
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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 11:37 AM
Why don't you just get a big external hard drive for all of your pictures? $100 and you can have a 1tb drive.
If you're worried about data loss, get a SSD.
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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 11:38 AM
I transfer my pics to CDs, and some are stored on my laptop. I have albums on the former Kodakgallery, which is now Shutterfly. When I took pics at get-togethers, etc. I uploaded them there so I could email the albums to friends. I even have some on Zip Disks.
"The best kind of pride is that which compels a man to do his best when no one is watching."
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08-19-2013, 11:53 AM
I've been using
CrashPlan for years. Highly recommended. Just select which folders on your computer you want backed up and it uploads files continuously in the background and stores every modified version of every file for if you ever need to go back to an older version (has saved me a few times with corrupted Microsoft Word documents.) IIRC, it costs about $50/year for unlimited storage. I currently have about 250GB of stuff backed up.
I can't have sex with your personality, and I can't put my penis in your college degree, and I can't shove my fist in your childhood dreams, so why are you sharing all this information with me?
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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 11:56 AM
I keep photos on the cameras SD cards, then replace. The full cards are stored in a little removal medial holder.
At some point I back those up on a quality USB, like this:
Then when time permits I burn to CD's and store in a separate location. I've lost way too many important pics and documents over the years.
1. The bottom has dropped out of storage devices. Don't be cheap and buy extra.
2. NEVER use your phone as a storage device. Import pics at least weekly to your PC or other devices, and delete from phone if they are incriminating. Phones get lost/stolen way too often. Trust me.
3. Don't rely on the cloud for storing anything. It's not safe. Keep on a hard copy, and if overseas, drop off copies somewhere safe, like your grandmothers house. I do this in case my own house burns down and lose everything. A friends place burned and he lost all memories over the years. That sucks.
4. Backup any 35mm prints, by scanning and moving to a disk or thumb drive.
This advice also counts for any important documentation. Again, don't put that shit in the cloud, or you'll lose your identity.
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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 12:25 PM
I'm kind of obsessive about this. I have 45,000 photos so I need a good system to back it all up. I have a grandfathered in Flickr Pro account so I have unlimited upload storage on there. I use dropbox but more as a temporary dump for photos. I have like over 200 gigs worth of photos/videos and I'm not paying that much on dropbox to hold them there.
1. I have all of my phone photos automatically upload to dropbox. I don't keep them here forever though. I sort them and then import them into iphoto as well as upload them into flickr (easy to drag and drop). I also have them all upload to Google+. Its actually pretty good for automatic upload and REALLY EASY for sharing.
2. Point and shoot camera photos I download locally and sort to iphoto. Upload to flickr as well.
3. My entire macbook is backed up using CRASHPLAN as well. I also have a time machine backup on there for quick restores if anything happens. Offline and physical backup is critically important. I have two offline backups (flickr + crashplan) as well as my local.
For dropbox there are several ways to get extra free space. If you get certain phones (like my galaxy S4) it increases it alot...also for setting your phones to upload to dropbox automatically it does the same thing.
Personally I'd suggest dropbox + google plus. Dropbox is a good archiving while google plus makes them quick to access. If you're doing them from your phone, its all automatically uploaded and they're easy to sort and free until you start getting heavy in the number of photos you take.
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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 12:29 PM
USB/External Hard drives are definitely one of the best options, I use the Western Digital brand and they have never let me down.
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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 01:07 PM
Quote: (08-19-2013 12:29 PM)Justice Beaver Wrote:
USB/External Hard drives are definitely one of the best options, I use the Western Digital brand and they have never let me down.
I've had too many quality optical drives fail. Warranties don't mean shit when you have to ship it to Colorado have the data recovered. They aren't made to travel much. Too many moving parts. SSD's are the way of the future. Just buy quality brands, and don't leave in the jean pockets when you wash.
Also, put an encryption on your removal media if it's sensitive information, especially if you travel with it.
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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 01:54 PM
I'm running a Corsair 32g survivor and a Flash Voyager 16g. Both were purchased in 4Q '08, and have survived multiple trips to Iraq, Afghan, Kuwait, Europe, and the DR. I trust Corsair and Kensington the most. I buy throw away drives for other purposes, but if they fail it's no big deal.
For optical drives I'm big on Western Digital. The passport series are good for traveling, but remember it pays to buy a quality case to reduce the shock of traveling and humidity.
Some guys here seem to love traveling with massive media files, but I can get by with almost nothing. When abroad, it's about chasing tail and experiencing a new culture. I wait till I'm stuck back in the states to get caught up on movies, tv, and games. Good for filling up time here.
External SSD's are still expensive, so I recommend USB's. Corsair Flash Survivor can be purchased for $80. That's is a shitload of solid storage.
For laptops, SSD's are the wave of the future. People complain about having not enough storage on Macbooks/ultrabooks, but for me it's a tradeoff. I am a tech guru and despise unreliable electronics. Store your massive media files on an optical external and leave at home. When traveling, if you must, stick a bunch up in the clouds so you can have access.
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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 02:34 PM
And if you're going to be crossing sensitive borders with some compromising pics, I recommend you learn how to use Truecrypt hidden volumes.
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How do You Backup/Store Photos?
08-19-2013, 03:13 PM
I've destroyed many a Sandisk USB's. The housing is flimsy. Stay away from Centon waterproof ones too. High fail rate, even though one did make it through one washing machine incident. But not two.
Imation and PNY suck balls too. Avoid.
SanDisk however makes great SD cards and their mp3 players are my favorite on the market.