Backup Workflow for Photographers.

Backup, backup, backup. I know that we all know these words and think about them from time to time, but how many of us really have a solid backup solution for our digital files. The honest truth is that a drive will go bad, they are not designed to last forever and if you are just editing and storing your images on one drive you are asking for trouble. You should always be looking for ways to safeguard clients important images. After all you are getting paid to produce them so you certainly don’t want to loose any of them.

            So the best practice is for you to keep 3 copies of your files. This way you have 2 copies onsite and one copy offsite. It is very important to have the offsite copy in case of fire floods or theft. And when referring to a offsite location it should be 50+ miles from your location because if you flood out most likely everything near by will be doing the same. For some it might not be feasible to keep a drive 50miles from their location so in this case I would recommend using cloud based services though they do cost yearly to have and use.

            My Workflow is to upload my files directly onto my external drive, from there I copy them to a second external drive. I don’t really have a place to keep an offsite external drive so I use a cloud based service for my third copy. By having 3 copies of all your RAW files you can be assured that you will not loose your customers flies and that can be extremely important.

            I personally use Seagate drives but you may find one that you like better. I don’t really think that there is a wrong solution just as long as you have one in place. When looking into the cloud based services I would make sure that you shop around on them because some are unlimited files including RAWs and some are jpg only. They also charge different fees depending how much space you need. When you first start up a cloud service be ready to spend hours if not days awaiting all your files to upload to the cloud. When buying external drives I wouldn’t buy them any larger then what you think you will shoot in a year. This way though you have to keep buying new ones each year they are always fresh and shouldn’t break down.

Backup Work Flow:

Example 1 Main Drive  --  Backup Drive1 – Backup drive 2A  -- Backup Drive 2B

Example 2 Main Drive – Backup Drive  -- Cloud

Seagate Drive 2014

Google+ for Photographers Part 1: Getting Started and Learning from the Pros

Social media is a convenient, free way to share your images with friends, family, other professionals, and potential clients.  One relatively new social media platform is Google+ (G+).  It has become a rather big hit with photographers because of the high image quality when sharing photographs.  With the changes to Flickr in the last year, many professionals flocked to G+ as an alternative for photo sharing and connecting with other photographers.  In today's post, I will go through the basics of setting up your G+ account, share helpful resources about navigating it, and tell you about a few photographers who really have a knack for making the most of the platform.  Next week I will share Part 2, which will focus on using G+ in a professional manner.

How to set up an account:

If you already have a Gmail account, this part is really easy!  Just click the grid on the top right side of your browser window when you are logged in, then click the red "g+" icon (see screen shot of grid and icons).  Google will guide you through this, encouraging you to add information to your profile and connect with others.  To create a brand new account complete with a new Gmail address, simply go to Google's account signup page and follow the steps.  There is also an option to sign up with an existing email account if you want to use an established, non-Gmail email address.

Why choose G+?

Colby Brown, author of Google+ for Photographers, succinctly describes what makes G+ unique: "Facebook is a closed network.  By that I mean that all of the information, content and interactions are kept inside Facebook.  This means that your absolute maximum reach on Facebook is limited to the network itself.  Google on the other hand is all about publicly indexing that content so that it is searchable on the Internet" (Colby Brown Photography).  G+ integrates Google's many features, from Gmail and Google Maps to the blog service used to create this post!  With the power of Google behind you, you can reach a wider audience through searches for the type of content you choose to post.  Remember this when you set up your profile with keywords appropriate to your target audience.  The profile page starts off with tiles that allow you to introduce yourself, which is what people will normally see when they click on your avatar:

Your home page will show content based on the people you follow and circles you create.  While you will see familiar features like the use of hashtags and the ability to give props to a post (here, you will click the "+1" button instead of a "like" button), the interface does take a little getting used to.  Following are resources that will help with just that!

Resources

Constant Contact provides a brief overview of terms, some of which will be familiar and others that Google created for G+.  This is a great place to start.

The Colby Brown blog post mentioned above is extremely helpful in providing an orientation to G+.  Learn about creating content and sharing with Circles, the benefits of Google's trusted content, and how you can use G+ hangouts here.

This post on Digital Photography School (DPS) details why G+ is so much better for posting images and networking with fellow photographers than other social media platforms out there.  It also suggests people to follow from the DPS site.

Photographers to follow

The best way to get started on G+ is to see how others have taken advantage of it.  Check out these photographers for education and inspiration, and take a look at the people they follow to see what inspires them.

Scott Kelby is an experienced photographer who you can spot on the sidelines at Super Bowls and learn from at workshops worldwide.  He posts regularly and shares tutorials, recent projects, and fun anecdotes that can help aspiring photographers stay motivated.

Darren Rowse is the man behind Digital Photography School, so you can bet his G+ content is instructive!

David LaSpina's travel photographs encompass so many genres: architecture, landscapes, street photography, and more!  His G+ posts are a great example of how you can seamlessly integrate mobile, film, and DSLR images while maintaining a recognizable style and brand.

Finally, of course, check out the PSPN G+ community and see the work of your current and former teachers, connect with other students, and view informative content shared by the faculty.

Do you have a favorite photographer or group to follow on G+?  If you have used the platform and enjoy it, what are some tips you have to help newbies dive in?  I would love to hear from you in the comments!  If you are new to G+, I hope this gives you a place to start.  Getting used to the interface and to posting content now will greatly help you when you want to start using it professionally.  Check back next week to see how G+ can help you market your business and connect with other professionals!

-Friday Ambassador

Works Cited:

Brandon, James. "Why Photographers Should Love Google." Digital Photography School RSS. Digital Photography School, 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.

Brown, Colby. "Social Media for Photographers: Google."  Colby Brown Photography. Colby Brown Photography, 1 Nov. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.

Curtiss, Kristen. "Why Use Google Plus? A Quick Guide and Glossary to Google." Constant Contact Blogs. Constant Contact, 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.