Today we’re talking about something you don’t want to think about: losing family photos. My cousin, Jim, told me recently that he lost two years of family photos.  He dropped his external hard drive and before he backed up his photos again, his hard drive failed. Thinking about the photos keeps him up at night. After talking to Jim, I knew we had to talk about photo backup on this family photography podcast. I don’t want you to lose any of your family photos. I called on Rob Lim. Rob and his wife, Lauren wrote the e-book, Back up or Die. Reading their e-book helped me understand how to back up my photos.

The very first time I imported photos onto my computer my brother told me, “If your photos only exist in one place – they don’t exist at all.” I kept all my photos in two places. At first, on my computer hard drive and DVD’s. Then, as I took more and more photos, I backed up my photos on an external hard drive. But Rob tells us we need our photos in three places. One of those copies needs to be offsite.

How do you store family photos offsite? Is online backup the way to go? We discuss online back up advantages and disadvantages.

Rob and his wife now use large memory cards and don’t delete photos as they go. They keep their drives in a safe deposit box. Rob and Lauren also use Chronosync.

Other highlights include backing up photos while traveling, how to store drives at home and keeping an empty drive at home just in case your external hard drive fails.

Did you know you need to keep your data up to date? Can your computer still read a DVD? Mine can’t. In a very short time technology changes. You have to move your photos onto the current technology. Or, go beyond technology and print your photos. (Want to make sure they look great? Listen to episode 025 with Martin Bailey.)

And, don’t forget your camera phone! Backup those photos up too.

Now is a great time to check out Rob and Lauren’s site full of resources for photographers like you – Photography Concentrate. They’re having a black Friday sale on all their tutorials including Back Up or Die.

Rob’s Simple Tip for Parents

Make time to take photos all together as a family. Hire a family photographer once a year so you see yourself in photos. It’s easy to take photos of your kids but you have to make time to get in the photos.

Make photography a tradition in your family.

Connect with Rob and Lauren: Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

Connect with me: Website, Facebook, Instagram

Some of you have sent me photos of you with your family. Thank you!  Maybe you don’t have kids. Send a photos with your brothers, sisters, best friends or pets. There’s no prize and I’m not going to post them anywhere. (Other than the wall where I record the show.