The bulletproof backup guide will give you the insight necessary to eliminate the chance of tragedy. This may seem a bit overboard at first glance, but trust me when I say you never want to experience the heartache of corruption without these safeguards in place. Follow these steps to ensure the memories you create for your people, make it all the way back to your people.

Double-Write Your Data

Writing your data to two locations in the camera is the crucial first step of the process. If your camera has the ability to store the moments you are creating in two locations right away, this is a huge benefit to you. Both SD cards and CF cards are subject to corruption at any given moment, I wish it weren’t true but it is. Saving the images to two locations as the session or wedding is happening gives you one backup immediately.

Backup Before Heading Home

Adding another backup location before leaving the site of the photo session is an integral piece of the bulletproof backup guide. Hard drive technology has made enormous advancements in recent years. Enter the amazing solid-state drive or SSD as it is commonly referred to, which means there are no moving parts. These babies are efficient durable flash memory, and they will save you LOTS of time.

It is completely possible to have your images backed up in three different locations ten minutes after you’ve said goodbye. Seriously, it takes 3-5 minutes to backup a normal photoshoot. Investing in an SSD may hurt your wallet once, but will save you from so many headaches. We recommend the WD 2 TB My Passport SSD, as well as the WD 1 TB My Passport SSD. We have experienced multiple wedding seasons using these exact models without any corruption, knock on wood. It’s up to you to decide which storage option works best for your current and future creative needs.

Hang On To Those Old HDDs Too

The bulletproof backup guide will also help to keep old hard drives out of landfills. Although HDDs are much slower than SSDs, we can still utilize them in our backup workflow. They play a different role, however, it is still a step that should be taken. The SSD is your “active” sessions drive and the HDD is another layer of redundancy.

This means you will be able to edit or process your media via the SSD, which will allow the programs you utilize like Photoshop and Lightroom Classic to run more efficiently as well. The HDD is more of a role player versus a starter. If the star player was to go down, the position can be filled and the show will go on.

You Can’t Lose Something You Don’t Have

The final piece of the puzzle to the bulletproof backup guide is offsite storage. This means the RAW files of the final product you deliver to the client are safely backed up to a hard drive that is PHYSICALLY in a different location than your other backups. This is definitely borderline paranoia, and it has proven to save the day when tragedy comes knocking. Natural disasters along with fires and other one in a million situations COULD happen, and you should keep that in mind when you are protecting legacy moments.

To The Cloud

We have talked all about the RAW files and keeping them in a secure spot. The final product is equally as important to back up. While it is possible to recover the JPEGs by exporting them again from Lightroom, what if you had already removed them from the catalog to save space on your computer? Cloud storage fulfills this need perfectly, and because the JPEG version is actually less data, you don’t need to worry about spending a fortune on your cloud storage. We do utilize the unlimited plan on Pass Gallery, however, that may not be necessary for this stage of your journey.

Benefits Of This System

The bulletproof backup guide will cure you of your disorganization and procrastination in one fell swoop. Those are the two biggest slowdowns between photographers and their deadlines. You can provide a better product to your client at a faster pace, and your workflow will be more efficient too. Your personality and the experience you create are the foundation of your business. These best practices are the pillars that will support the growth of your business. Allow your creativity to flow and enjoy the process along the way.