How to Back Up Your Photos

How to Back Up Your Photos

It’s so exciting when you finally get that email that your photos are done & the gallery is ready.
Now what do you do with your precious memories?

Download Your Photos ASAP

View & download your photos from a home computer as soon as possible.

 While it’s convenient to view your photos from a phone or other device, you will have optimal viewing from a computer and be able to back up a set of photos to your desktop.

Even if you create a favorites list within your online gallery, make sure you download a copy of your entire gallery.



Be sure to ask your photographer how long your gallery will be available per your contract. Some photographers may create expiry dates for galleries.

I don’t put expiry dates on galleries for my clients & and the service I use allows me to upload unlimited galleries. I won’t take down your gallery unless I were to switch services, to which I would let all of my clients know before doing. However, I am not responsible for long-term storage per my contract & it’s still important that you download & backup your photos!

External Hard Drives

Purchase a good external hard drive. Thumb drives & cd’s are not used much anymore. Some newer computers are not made with usb ports or cd drives. It’s worth it to have a place to store your memories. LaCie is my go-to brand. You can also purchase a solid state drive (has no internal moving parts & less risk of damage).

Most external hard drives & newer computers are made with usb-c ports. If your computer does not have a usb-c port, you may need to purchase an adapter.

Cloud-based Storage/Online Storage

Use a cloud-based online storage service. Dropbox, Backblaze, Crashplan, Google Photos, Amazon photos, etc.

Albums & Prints



Make prints & albums of your photos. What good is paying for these beautiful photos, but they never make it past digital form?



Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.

Computers crash, external hard drives can crash, data can be lost. Maybe have a copy of your photos on your desktop, a copy on an external hard drive, a copy on a cloud-based service, & prints too!

Back up your photos, friends! Your memories matter & you want to make sure that you have a solid plan to keep them safe.

XO, Dakota Chasity