Describe your photo storage set up

Hi there.

Please can you describe your set up for storing and managing all your photos?

For years I've struggled to settle on a satisfactory means of storing our family photos.

I have a Synology NAS sat unused because it seems so clunky in use. I have a number of other unused external drives.

Pics from our phones are backed up to Google Photos.

At the mo I stuff photos from the DSLR onto a PC then fret about deleting them from the camera's sd card.

Then I can never remember what I do next, usually it's allow Picasa to import the pictures.

Ideally what I'd like is simple importing, automatic organisation, easy reviewing and most importantly robust back up.

Without spending any money on software, this is what I still do today:

https://www.pentaxuser.com/article/organising-your-digital-files-252

I use a Synology NAS for storage. I find it very easy to use. The NAS itself is also backed up. I also gave two stand-alone external hard drives.

I have folders on my PC, top level names might be places, with sub folders for dates visited. Unsophisticated but works for me. All gets backed up to the NAS and external HDDs.

I don't catalogue, although I have the software to do it, as I've never had a need to, for example, find all shots of Aunty Elsie.

Because I have the storage I never bother weeding shots. I know I should, but....

Most recent year's worth on internal HDD with "YearYYYY-MM-DD Description" style folders (so they sort properly). Lightroom outputs go into subfolders of the image folder, and I usually save the camera JPG (when using RAW+JPG) in a subfolder "Camera JPG" for reference and quick access.

Then, synchronise to 2TB portable drive using Scooter Software's BeyondCompare.
And synchronise again to offsite 2TB desktop driver using BeyondCompare.

Lightroom generally keeps up, and Picasa is helpful too for rattling through my tens of thousands of images

Matt

Regarding security of backup and storage, do you want your family photos to be available for several future generations?

Consider, if they are stored on disk drives, the life of the storage medium, whether the files will remain uncorrupted in the future, and/or whether there will be technology around to read them. (e.g. Think about the 5.25 disks that we used to use only a couple of decades ago.) Perhaps there is someone in the family who will maintain the storage and transfer the files to the latest technology.

Consider, if they are stored in 'the cloud', whether the data would still be there in 50 years time and, if so, whether future generations would know about it, and/or have access to it - perhaps relevant information, account names, and passwords need to be recorded in a will.

In our family we have photo prints of relatives from up to 100 years ago. Perhaps it might be worth considering making good quality prints of your favourite/important family shots, and storing them in a secure environment.

Cheers.
Philip

I use windows File History to an internal second drive plus Western Digital to a second external USB Drive using their back up system. I have many holidays and trips on DVD too. I create albums nowadays on Google Photos, formerly Picasa web albums (slightly reduced size for free unlimited) I've done printed albums and discs for both children for their first 21 years and recently for my daughter to 30 years an Abelli Book (they are brilliant) . I encourage family and friends to share and download to their devices my Google Photo Albums.

I also have a family web site although I don't anally treat it as an archive, mostly links to Google Photos Albums. link

I've also encouraged relatives to scan old photos and share them. The more copies around the family the better chance some will survive.

Who gets our accounts online after we die or what if paid for ones expire before an estate is settled are all issues for the future I guess. probably need to be part of wills with solicitor executors.

I simply keep mine in folders, originally by camera body with sub folders for where/when, then I changed to folders by year again with sub folders for where/when but combining images from different camera bodies..

For example I have a folder marked "istD" with a sub folder "New England" but I also have a folder marked K10D with a folder marked "New England" I will eventually get round to combining these into the later format that I've chosen to use.

I also keep a back up of this on both a separate drive in the computer and also an external drive, the secondary drive is backed up frequently and the one on the external drive when I get round to it

Why do I keep two back ups?
Several years ago I had a serious problem with my PC and decided to undertake a complete wipe of the hard drive and re-installation of Windows, all went well until I tried to copy my images from the back up drive back onto the newly formatted hard drive, the back up drive threw a tantrum and decided to go belly up, I lost hundreds of images taken on the itsD, not just "keepers" but holiday snaps and family events .