Your wedding photos are ready! What to do next...
Your wedding photos are finally here! 🎉 I’m so excited for you to relive all the beautiful moments of your special day. To make sure you have these memories forever, it’s important to download and store your images safely. Here are some tips to help you out:
Step 1: Download Your Images immediately
Log into your online gallery and download the high-resolution files. For the best quality, I recommend using a desktop or laptop computer and NEVER TAKE A SCREENSHOT of your images - The quality will be awful.
Download the full set to ensure you have every precious moment saved!
With each of my galleries, I send across the full gallery in colour and in black & White.
Step 2: Store Them Safely
Once you’ve downloaded your images, it’s time to create multiple backups. Here’s how:
• Hard Drives & SSDs including USB pen drives:
External hard drives and SSDs (Solid State Drives) are excellent for storing large amounts of data. SSDs are faster and durable due to zero moving internal parts, while traditional hard drives are very cost-effective for larger capacities. Both types of drives can fail after many years so if you do choose this option make sure you are replacing the drives every few years to be on the safe side.
If you choose to use pen drives, I have seen multiple failures with the decorative and engraved wooden USB pen drives that photographers usually supply. These look nice but the internal parts are sometimes of a low quality. Please back your images up immediately if you have your images on one of these drives.
• SD Cards:
SD cards are compact and easy to use, but they’re best as a secondary backup rather than a primary storage method. They’re more prone to damage or loss over time. With them being so small, they are also very easy to lose. I generally do not recommend these for long term storage unless they are part of a system with multiple copies elsewhere.
• Online Storage:
Upload your photos to a reliable online cloud service like Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud. This ensures you have access to your photos even if something happens to your physical storage. It makes it easy to access your images on the go and from anywhere in the world. A free Google account will give you up to 15GB of cloud storage which will be enough to store your wedding photos online. This option is great but you have to keep up your subscription for the paid options and you are also at the mercy of data leaks and hacking.
• DVD Discs:
DVDs are a classic option for long-term storage and they are very durable if you look after them. A DVD disc is better to store your images away in a safe location as a primary copy. They hold less data compared to modern options above but they are much cheaper. If you do choose DVDs, keep them in a cool, dry place and avoid scratches. The lifespan of a DVD can be up to 20 years or more.
Best Practice: Have Multiple Backups
For ultimate peace of mind, use a combination of these storage methods. For example:
1. Keep a copy on an external hard drive or SSD.
2. Save a secondary copy in online cloud storage.
3. Burn DVD copies and store in multiple, cool & dry conditions. Think about storing a copy with family or friends.
You photographed my wedding but we have lost our wedding photos. Can you help?
Every wedding that I photograph, I follow my own tips and store multiple copies of your gallery. I have a long term DVD store and I also keep your data in the cloud for at least 12 months. Please get in touch if you have lost your gallery!
I'm stumped at all the options and I don't know where to start, can you do it for me?
Of course! If you would like me to set up your back up drives and burn DVD discs, please get in touch to discuss the options available.
Cherish Your Memories Forever
Taking a few extra steps now to back up your wedding photos will ensure these priceless memories last a lifetime. If you have any questions about downloading or storing your images, feel free to reach out!
Happy reminiscing 📸✨
chris@chrisgreenweddings.com