How to organize your photos

I bet many has thought taking backups from a Windows PC. Which is of course a very good idea. Before configuring any backup solution I would like to remind that it is different thing to make backups than doing archiving. Or if you do only backups, then you end up adding more hard drives to your computer constantly. And in case of laptops it might be not that easy.

Backups are copy of your current content on your computer. Either single file, folder or entire computer. That is then placed to other location, which can be then retrieved in case of failure. That works very well if you do not have lots of files to be backed up. But if you are a photographer, got new 4K video camcorder for a Christmas present then you might notice at some point that you are running out of space on your computer.

Archiving is then a solution here. You need to determine if there is content that is not used that often anymore but want still to keep it.  Move that content external hard drives (in plural yes). Preferable two different manufacturers of hard drivers. Once copied, you can free up space from your computer.

Whatever backup solution you choose, make sure it is automated. It won't work if you need to pay attention to it. Archiving may work manually. E.g. I use it that way backup is automated and yearly I archive my photos & videos to external drives.

Many also claims on the name of Adobe Lightroom. No wonder, it is a great software. It has many features that others don't have or they are not anywhere near with the implementation. Adobe has a cloud solution nowadays too, which you can use as an archive too. Adobe has a subscription model which kind of sucks in case of Lightroom. This is my opinion. Here is why I think so. I want lifetime solution for archiving photos but I don't want to pay it for lifetime. At least so long when there are cheaper alternatives. Read on!

Google Photos

Google Photos is my favorite solution for photo and video backup / archive. It does both of these worlds in very convenient way. Although it is free, same rules applies here as with other Google products. Your information is the trade here, and in exchange you are allowed to use the services. "Free" version offers unlimited capacity with limitations to resolutions. But as an archive solution that is acceptable for me. On top of that you get capable search engine, if you wish to lookup certain photos from years back. There is also options to use paid plans, to avoid resolution loss.Google Photos is also available on iPhone and Android of course. Se virtually on any device. Take a photo with mobile phone and check and share it on your PC or Mac. Neat!

Privacy then?

If there is that trade off, isn't that a concern if you upload your lifetime photo collection to the cloud? In certain way it is. But do you honestly think that you can defend your privacy still after use of years Google products, such as search engine or Android devices. You might have already uploaded all your contact details to the web. Or your friend or someone family already uses Google Photos and has tagged you there without asking permission from you. So you can't be 100% what data there is already about you. So I think it this way. Game is already lost, let's take advantages what there are coming in exchange.

Conclusion

So far I haven't found yet easier and better automated backup / archiving solution. This is my recommendation for the best product and how to organize your photos.