How to Store Your Precious Digitals … AKA Memories

If you’re anything like me, you live with a constant fear—the fear of losing your memories. My hard drives and phone are filled with countless photos that I never seem to have time to sort or print. But while I do worry about losing physical files, I find peace in knowing that everything is backed up.

I want to help you do the same—to eliminate the fear and guide you through the best ways to store your precious digital memories.

And remember, your precious digitals should also become treasured prints!

Print Your Photos!

First things first—the best way to prevent loss is to print your photos! This is my number one recommendation. Because let’s be honest, when we’re no longer around, and no one knows our passwords (or can use our face for Face ID), the only way to guarantee our memories live on is through printed photos.

Now that we’ve gotten the morbid part out of the way, let’s talk about how to store your digital images in the meantime.

Back Up Photos to an HDD or SSD

External hard drives are a great option for backing up your images. I use both HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and SSD (Solid State Drive) for different reasons, but my personal favourite is the WD Elements Portable External Hard Drive – USB 3.0. These drives come in various sizes and are available on Amazon. I own around 20 of them, and they’ve been completely reliable so far.

Set Up a NAS Storage System

NAS (Network Attached Storage) is essentially your own personal cloud storage system. It allows you to access your photos and files from multiple devices over a network rather than plugging a hard drive directly into your computer. It’s a bit more advanced but might be the perfect solution for you!

Cloud Back-Up

The easiest and often most reliable option is cloud storage (though I’ll say it again—you STILL need to print your photos!). There are plenty of free and paid cloud storage options depending on your needs.

Some great choices include:

• Amazon Prime Photos (included with a Prime membership)
• Google Photos (affordable and user-friendly)
• iCloud (perfect if you have an iPhone)

Why Do Digital Files Cost More Than Prints?

Ever wonder why digital files are more expensive than prints? Think back to the film photography days. You had to buy film, take photos, drop the roll off at a lab (or a chemist!), wait a week (or pay extra for 1-hour service), and then receive a pack of prints—most of which had weird orange edges and only a few keepers.

Today, digital files are the modern-day equivalent of those old negatives. When we take photos at your child’s school or event, we shoot hundreds of images. Many of them get discarded due to blinks, weird expressions, or redundancy. The best images—the ‘keepers’—are carefully selected, edited by hand, and curated to ensure only the highest quality make it to your gallery.

What is a RAW File?

In simple terms, a RAW file is the digital version of an old-school film negative. It contains all the image data, making it a very large file that requires processing.

Photographers shoot in RAW because it allows for complete control during editing. After fine-tuning the images, we convert them into high-quality JPEGs and upload them to your gallery for you to enjoy.

Why Are Digital Files Pricey?

We take pride in offering a high-quality, fine art service. Every step of the process—from photographing to editing and curating—takes time, skill, and experience.

Back in the day, photographers never gave away their negatives, and most people didn’t even want them. But now, with digital technology, clients want access to their ‘negatives’ to view on their phones, share online, and print themselves. That’s why, when you purchase digital files from us, we include a high-resolution print-ready file with a print release, allowing you to print and share as much as you like.

Print Your Photos! (Yes, Again!)

I cannot stress this enough—PRINT. YOUR. PHOTOS.

We meticulously edit each image to ensure it looks stunning both on screen and in print. That’s why we only use professional print labs that guarantee accurate colors and high-quality prints.

When you print digital images yourself, you lose control over how the final product looks. Cheap printing services can distort colors and lower quality. So please, choose a professional print lab to make sure your memories are preserved exactly as intended!