How to Organize and Back Up Your Photos

The start of a new year is the perfect time to prepare your files, backups, and workflow for the months ahead. This organizational groundwork not only ensures your files are safe but also frees you to focus on creative work instead of dealing with last year's clutter.

Coming to you from John Branch IV Photography, this practical video outlines a step-by-step process to prepare for the year ahead. One of the first tasks is creating a new Lightroom catalog. Branch prefers a single catalog for each year to keep things streamlined and reduce headaches. A single catalog makes it easier to manage your images, export files, and use tools without constantly switching between multiple catalogs. For heavy workloads, splitting the year into two catalogs might be necessary, but otherwise, one catalog is the simplest approach.

Another essential step is reducing file sizes to free up storage space. Branch uses JPEGmini, a tool that compresses image file sizes without reducing dimensions or quality. By running all delivered photos through JPEGmini, you can save significant space on your hard drives, making it easier to archive your work. While JPEGmini is great for making photos smaller, it’s also helpful for creating web-ready images by adjusting export settings. Branch demonstrates how a few minutes of optimization can save gigabytes of space, which is particularly useful if you manage large libraries of wedding or session photos.

Long-term archiving is also crucial. After compressing files, Branch moves his raw files and JPEGs to a network-attached storage (NAS) device. For raw files, which take up substantial space, he keeps them for about a year or two before deleting them, while JPEGs are stored indefinitely. A NAS device with RAID configurations provides extra security in case of drive failures. If a NAS isn’t an option, cloud storage or multiple external hard drives can serve as alternatives for long-term storage.

Backing up to the cloud is another layer of protection. Branch uses Backblaze, a continuous backup solution that automatically saves all computer and external drive files to the cloud. While it requires stable connectivity with your hard drives, Backblaze’s constant updates ensure your data remains safe, even if a physical drive fails. The upload process might take time with slower internet speeds, but the peace of mind is worth the investment.

Lastly, creating local backups with tools like ChronoSync adds a final safety net. ChronoSync allows you to create a carbon copy of your drives, ensuring you have an offline backup in case of emergencies. While not automated like cloud backups, this manual process ensures redundancy. Branch recommends syncing drives every few months to keep your copies up to date, especially for critical files like client galleries or video projects. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Branch.

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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