Best practices for storing and archiving images – DIY in 5 Ep 209

Опубликовано 29 октября 2023, 15:00

Storing your photos securely is super important, for budding photographers or smartphone camera aficionados alike. Here are some tips so you can efficiently store your memories for decades to come.

Anyone with a smartphone is likely used to warnings that they’re running out of storage, likely because of the volume of stored photos and videos. Not only do you want your storage on your phone freed up, you also want to make sure your memories are safe and well-preserved. So, let’s do just that.

The most important thing you can do to keep your memories safely stored is invest in reliable storage. Some drives are simply more reliable than others. Reviews will confirm: SSDs are more reliable than HDDs. SSDs are also faster than traditional hard drives, saving users’ time. If your primary backup is on a PC with a built-in SSD, then your secondary storage option should be an external SSD. They’re fast, easy to us, and you can secure them somewhere safe in case something happens to your primary device.
Both Kingston’s XS2000 and XS1000 external SSDs are perfect storage devices for both personal and professional backups. Think about what capacity, speed, and durability may be right for your needs. If you do a lot of photography while off-roading or camping, durability may be more important to you. For those taking and offloading many photos over and over, speed of transfer may be a priority. The Kingston XS2000 offers speeds up to 2000MB/s, with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. It’s available in capacities up to 4TB, while the XS1000 offers read speeds up to 1050MB/s and capacities up to 2TB.

Another option available, particularly for large data amounts, is a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) system. This storage tech combines multiple drives into a single unit, providing protection in case one of the drives fail. Note that RAID systems are more expensive than buying a single SSD but do offer greater reliability and data protection.
Another great tip: always have a backup! You never know what might happen to your primary storage device: theft, physical damage, virus, malware… all horrible events. An effective habit for protecting important data is the 3-2-1 backup strategy. Make three copies of your data, two locally and one offsite. It might seem extreme, but the multiple redundancies will ensure that your data is always backed up. Another best practice is to have scheduled backup times in place, either automated, or something you choose to do every so often. A backup drive you haven’t updated in three years is only as good as your last backup.

Something else to consider implementing is your own file naming system. A consistent method will help you find and organize your images faster, helping in the long run. One Kingston team member always uses location, date, and subject to easily find photos. The file name “Kingston Tech California 10-1-23 totem head1” gives you a pretty good idea of what the file is without even opening it. Another great way to keep your files organized is through metadata. Metadata is information embedded in the image file which can be used to provide additional context about an image. Things like keywords and tags are hugely useful here. You can use Adobe Bridge or Google Photos to edit or add metadata. Some software will store some types of metadata outside of the file in a database, which could mean that the metadata could be lost if the file is moved to another location, while others will write the metadata to the file itself.

3-2-1 backup with reliable storage or RAID, plus a personal system of file names and metadata written to each file: the combination of these precautions and practices ensures that your precious memories will be around to revisit forever!

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