Managing your photos and backing them up

I had no idea when I purchased my first DSLR just how many photos I would have to manage as the months and years went by. It quickly became apparent that I would need a system of storing files on my hard drive and backing them up.

The following principles are important for me when developing a system for managing photos:

1. It cannot rely on special software. This is because software programs come and go and sometimes they use databases to store information. If the database is corrupted, then everything gets lost.
2. It has to stand the test of time. The system needs to be basic enough that it will be relevant now and in 20 years.
3. Keep it simple. There is no need for a complicated system when a simple one will do.

So I store photos in folders on an external ‘master’ hard drive using the following system:

• YYYY


• YYYY-MM-DD Name of Event


• JPEG (This is where I export my CR2 files as JPEGs after editing them using Adobe Camera RAW via Adobe Bridge).

I just use the file name which the camera generates for the photo. However, you can assign a custom file name to images via your importing software. This is ZoomBrowser EX for Canon shooters.

There will invariably be an increase in the sensor’s megapixel count every time a camera manufacturer releases a new model. This is great for image quality, but it means that fewer shots fit on a memory card and that big external hard drive you purchased last year is almost full. The good news is that hard drives are always increasing in capacity and decreasing in price.

I like to use stand alone external hard drives to store my images on. I use 2 of the same model – the first as the master and the second as the backup. I have two 1TB Western Digital external HDDs at the moment.

I sync the master and backup HDDs using Microsoft SyncToy. I like this application because it is simple and seems to work really well. The only problem is remembering to run it on a regular basis. I ‘echo’ the master drive to the backup drive. This means that any changes made on the master get duplicated on backup, but not visa-versa.

I don’t use RAID configured external HDDs to secure my photos. This is because both HDDs are in the same case. In the event that I am travelling or want to take my photos with me, I like being able to just take the master HDD and leave the backup behind.

Do you have a great photo management system? How do you back up your photos?

Managing your photos and backing them up