Backing Up Photographs
There are so many ways today that people do not realize that digital photographs can disappear while traveling. The goal for everyone is to take lots of pictures and make sure the pictures still exist when one returns home. Below are basic steps that can be taken to make sure when the vacation is over, the pictures are still available.
This is one way to minimize the risk of loosing photos while traveling. It may be extreme paranoia, but "pictures are memories that last a lifetime!"
1. Take the best quality (highest resolution) picture.
You may want to make posters, or large prints later on. Bring multiple memory cards if needed. Everyone takes pictures differently, and different cameras store in various sizes and quality.
2. Backup Copy #1
If you carry a laptop, netbook, tablet, or smartphone, try to copy ALL photos to one of these devices at the end of each night or as soon as possible.
3. Backup Copy #2
Copy ALL photos to a flashdrive nightly and have someone else on the trip carry the flashddrive in their purse, in their pocket, or on their person. Flashdrives are small & lightweight. If you don't have a computer to make the transfer, most places have a computer on the premises in the business center or in a room off the lobby. This way if something happens to the device from the "backup of copy #1" in step 2, there is a 2nd copy not in your possession. Also, if the computing device or camera is stolen, there is still another copy.
4. Backup copy #3
As soon as an internet connection is available, upload pictures to a computer back home or to a photo site like Flickr. If the internet connection is really slow, upload the most important pictures first. Try to batch upload the files and run it through the night while sleeping. Many times the internet connection is too slow, but still try. The worst case is that there will still be 2 other backup copies.
5.Still don't remove all of the images from the camera
If there isn't enough room on the flashdrive for all the pictures taken, only remove enough pictures on the camera to make room for the next day, or remove images on the camera as needed while out taking pictures, if the camera is running low on space. The goal is to remove the least amount as possible if you only have a limited amount of storage space on the memory card. By the end of the trip there may not be very many pictures from early on in the trip. Once it is comfortable enough knowing that there are multiple copies safe and secure, everything is ready to be removed from the card in the camera.
6. Repeat from Step 1
So even if the camera is stolen or damaged, the computer is stolen or gets damaged, a purse gets stolen, a memory card or any other device loses data from a TSA x-ray machine or by any other means, the photos of the memories will not be lost forever.
Disclaimer: This is only one of many methods of backing up photo's. If you decide this method works best for you, use at your own risk. The author and TravelAndAppetite.com claim no responsibility for lost images or photographs.
Happy Picture Taking!
