Picture backups

[snorkeler]

For those of you who take many pictures, how/where do you back them up. I have an external HD but long term backups still being done on DVD ROM. Haven't seen anything larger available yet, and with HD videos being backed up too a DVD fills up pretty quick.

Snorkeler

 

[Misled]

I back up to a external drive and back up my "good" photos to space provided by my ISP. I do check the ones at my ISP once and awhile. You need a place away from your home. If there's a fire of something, it will all be gone.

 

[Wolverine]

We have an external HD that automatically backs up. Then I have a separate external HD that I connect about once a month for photos and music. Then I have two sets of DVDs. One kept here in a fireproof safe. The other set at the MIL's house. Did I mention that I'm paranoid?

 

[BlueCorn]

I keep three copies of every image on separate hard disks and one additional copy online.

The problem with DVDs is that they degrade over time with no indication that there's a problem. You first find out that your disk is bad when you try to recover from a failure. Even the "archive" grade disks need to be kept in climate controlled environments to live up to rated lifespans. If the image is on a spinning disk, you know about problems as they occur.

(Just had article published on this for a trade mag....)

 

[adammreef]

Jesse, when you say "space provided by my ISP." Do you mean photobucket, or what others do you use?

 

[Misled]

No, ISP=Internet Service Provider. Check with whom you get your internet service through. Normally you can purchase extra space for web pages or backups.

 

[MalHavoc]

I have a Drobo (www.drobo.com for details - it's a RAID enclosure, with 5 500 Gb drives). It gives me almost 2 Terabytes of disk space at home. I also mirror my files (we're not just talking images here, I also back up my software dev projects and important documents) to a second RAID array at work, which is backed up nightly to tape.

One thing to add to Doug's comment about "spinning disks" is that the disks need to actually be spinning in order for you to notice failures. In my opinion, removable drives don't cut it, unless you use them on a daily basis and keep them "spun up".