Having a solid backup process is crucial for wedding photographers. Our clients have entrusted us to capture and secure their precious memories so that future generations can look back upon this moment in their family’s history. I think it’s pretty safe to say that it would be any wedding photographer’s worst nightmare if they were to lose their client’s images. That’s why it’s so important to have a multi-tiered backup process in place from the very beginning.
Below, I’m going to break down my exact backup process. To some, I may be “overdoing it” but when it comes to my clients’ images, I don’t want to take any risks or spare any expense. Backing up my work is very inexpensive compared to the cost of losing someone’s wedding images! So here we go…
That is my process immediately following the wedding, before the images are ready for delivery. So, as I am working on editing each session or wedding, I have the RAW files on two hard drives (my portable SSD drive and my desktop computer’s hard drive) and on the SD cards, which I’ve set aside. Additionally, the RAW files are on the cloud via Backblaze + CrashPlan. Once I have edited the entire wedding, there are a few more steps that complete my backup process and archiving of the edited files.
I’ll be honest… I own a LOT of CF + SD cards. For me, having plenty of memory cards to use gives me the peace of mind I want and need for my business. I know I’m never going to run out of cards to use. I can safely set aside two SD cards (one for me, one for my second shooter) after each wedding and not need to use those SD cards again until the wedding is done + delivered in a few weeks. Trust me – the cost of extra memory cards pales in comparison to the potential cost from the loss of a client’s images.
Along with my backup process, I also use a fairly straightforward method of organizing my files.
For every session or wedding, I create a new folder and I name it “YY-MM-DD Bride’s First Name + Groom’s First Name”. Inside of this main folder, there will be 3+ additional photos named:
Within the main folder, I also save the Lightroom Catalog for each wedding. I am archiving all of this information once the wedding or session is officially delivered to the clients.
I hope this gives you some insight into my backup and organization process for my photos. If you have any questions, please leave them below and I’ll try to answer them for you!!
With a well-worn passport in hand, and an affinity for a good cocktail, Dana works with fun-loving and kind-hearted clients around the globe.
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