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Backup:
In the hierarchy of digital work-flow, especially event photography where it is not possible to recreate the event, it is absolutely, essentially critical that all original files are kept and backed-up---without these original files you cannot proceed with the rest of the process.
The above photo shows all of the external hard drives used for 2 years of wedding photography (They're each 1TB drives, except for the two 320gb Rikki's on the ends). Yes, i realize this is overkill--and we have since streamlined our back-up procedure a little--but i use the photo to demonstrate how important we consider backing-up and/or archiving the original files.
Regardless of the method, YOU MUST DUPLICATE AND SEPARATE your data. Except for in a post-apocalyptic world in which electricity no longer exists, we need to ensure that at least our original images are safe.
What are the best methods to keep data safe? Consider this list:
1. Online Galleries - typically free for personal use, small file sizes
2. CD/DVD/BluRay Discs - good for data up to 50gb assuming you can burn BluRay
3. External Hard Drives - cheap, expandable, and come in designer enclosures
4. Tape Drives (to back-up your 1980's mainframe) - ultra-stable long-term backup, but very very costly.
5. Solid State Drives - These are somewhat less expensive than tape drive units but more stable than traditional external hard drives. Currently, these are good for about 500gb (if you can afford them).
There is one more key concept to consider when developing a back-up plan/procedure. Not only is it enough to have multiple copies of your data, in multiple places, but it is paramount that you migrate that data to new drives/storage devices every couple of years. In the migration process you should also convert antiquated files into the latest version, unless a legacy file is appropriate. Typically, all of the media formats above should be converted to new storage every 2-5 years.
For me, backing-up digital assets is far more than a luxury, its a lifestyle because so much depends on those files!
I know I've covered a lot of territory in one brief post, so please take some time to write questions in the comment section and we'll continue the dialogue.
5 comments:
According to my research, SSDs have a useable lifespan much longer than 5 years years. They have a finite life, but with the wear leveling built into all modern SSDs, they could be filled completely, erased, filled again, and erased every hour of every day for over 20 years.
Whoops, that was supposed to say "over 10 years." The useable real world life would be closer to 20 years.
Absolutely Solid-State drives will be the preferred storage/archive medium in the not-too-distant future. I cannot wait for SSD's to drop in price to be competitive with the other forms of backup. That being said, tape drives have real world experience over the past 35+ years, so you can actually guarantee their performance.
I think backup/archiving should be similar to a conservative stock portfolio. If you diversify your data enough, it won't really matter what mediums fail or become successful in the future. And yes, 3 years if an awfully short life-cycle for back-up components, but if you consider that data consumption will only double or triple with newer cameras/files, I feel comfortable with a 3-year cycle.
I purchased a Drobo for the church I work at for file sharing and backup on our network. The unit we got holds up to five sata drives at a time regardless of size (GB/TB) or brand. The great thing about it is that if one drive in the array goes bad, you take it out and pop in a new one. The data is distributed across multiple drives keeping your data safe. It costs more up front than buying single externals, but it's a lot faster and safer. There's some killer software behind this thing.
I'm so glad you mentioned that Josh! If you haven't noticed, my blog is sponsored by DROBO (small box, big storage). In fact we own a DROBO S for onsite archiving, I have a DROBO Pro for my work archiving, and have encouraged many, many others to buy a DROBO. They are a one-of-a-kind product, that I cannot say enough good things about.
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