How I Back Up and Store My Family Photos (And Why You Should Too)
If you’ve ever had that horrible thought of “What would happen if I lost all the photos on my phone?” … you’re not alone.
As a photographer, I probably think about this more than most people 😂
I have years of family photos, videos and memories sitting on my phone, and there are some I genuinely couldn’t replace.
The good news is, you don’t need an expensive or complicated setup to protect yours.
Here’s exactly what I do.
Step 1: My phone backs up to Google Photos
I use Google Photos to automatically back up the photos and videos from my phone.
This is probably the easiest thing you can do to protect your memories. If your phone is lost, broken or suddenly decides it no longer wants to turn on, your photos aren’t only living on that one device.
If you haven’t downloaded Google Photos, honestly do it today.
Step 2: I actually use my phone’s photo library too
I’m not particularly organised when it comes to documenting everyday life.
I take photos on my phone constantly - random moments, the kids doing something funny, birthdays, holidays, screenshots I’ll probably never need again. So mass deletes happen occasionally when my phone has no storage, but that’s ok because they’re backed up elsewhere.
Step 3: as a photographer i go one step further
This is where I have an advantage because I’m a photographer and I have a few of these laying around.
I also keep copies of important photographs on a 2TB external hard drive. The one I use is “ … “ (not affiliated in any way).
I use it to store photographs that are particularly important to me, including family photos and professional work.
But, and this is important, you absolutely do NOT need a 2TB hard drive.
I already have one because photography involves storing huge amounts of high-resolution files, so it’s become part of my normal workflow. For most families, simply having your phone automatically backed up to Google Photos is already a huge step in the right direction.
What photos would I make sure I never lose?
For me, it’s not necessarily the posed photos. It’s the ordinary ones.
The newborn photos.
The first bath.
The messy hands in the kitchen.
Photos of the kids with their grandparents.
Videos of them saying words they won’t say forever.
Photos from holidays.
Birthday mornings.
Christmas!!
And what about your professional photos?
When you receive your gallery from your photographer, download your images and store them somewhere safe. Don’t leave your gallery sitting online forever assuming it will always be there.
I always recommend downloading your full gallery to your computer or an external hard drive, and then keeping another backup somewhere else if possible.
Your photographer’s gallery is not intended to be your permanent personal storage system.
Once your gallery has been delivered, your photographs are yours to look after.