# Archiving Images



## beckylynne (Oct 26, 2015)

I recently read a post on another forum where photographers were ripping apart a newbie for not archiving images.  They told him that he could not refer to himself as a "professional" if he wasn't willing to archive them.

So I guess my question is this....what do you tell your clients?  It's my understanding that there is no such thing as true archiving.  To date all digital files with NO exceptions are corruptible.  I try and educate my clients on digital negatives....I explain that I will "archive" for a year barring no issues.  This is by NO means set in stone which is also in my contracts from the get go.

Thoughts?


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## The_Traveler (Oct 26, 2015)

I have no clients but......
I keep 3 copies of all my files, the working version and two others.
Every year or so I swap out a drive and burn a new copy of one or the other backup to guard against bit rot.
I've looked at and edited images back from 2004 when I started saving digital images and never had a corrupted one yet.
(and tbh, it wouldn't be the end of the world, if I lost a file or two. I'm not that good.)


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## beckylynne (Oct 26, 2015)

The_Traveler said:


> I have no clients but......
> I keep 3 copies of all my files, the working version and two others.
> Every year or so I swap out a drive and burn a new copy of one or the other backup to guard against bit rot.
> I've looked at and edited images back from 2004 when I started saving digital images and never had a corrupted one yet.
> (and tbh, it wouldn't be the end of the world, if I lost a file or two. I'm not that good.)


I rather enjoy your work


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## beckylynne (Oct 26, 2015)

I guess I'm also curious at the extent that people go to archive.  Once the digital negatives have been purchased as a wedding photographer there are rarely future sales opportunities.  If that bride comes back 5 or 10 year later because she lost the files, would it be nice to give them back to her....of course.  At the end of the day isn't she also buying the responsibility of taking care of them herself?  I've heard some photographers archive for "life" which I think is ridiculous.  That responsibility isn't built into my pricing


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## tirediron (Oct 26, 2015)

My personal archival goal, as well as that of my paid work is to keep every image forever.  I use a multiple redunant back-up system, and to date (10 years+) everything is still accessible.  What I tell my clients:  I do my best within the limits of technology to ensure that all files are always available, however I do not and will not make any promises or guarentees regarding that.


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## beckylynne (Oct 26, 2015)

tirediron said:


> My personal archival goal, as well as that of my paid work is to keep every image forever.  I use a multiple redunant back-up system, and to date (10 years+) everything is still accessible.  What I tell my clients:  I do my best within the limits of technology to ensure that all files are always available, however I do not and will not make any promises or guarentees regarding that.


If they did come back years later would you charge them for the images?


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## JacaRanda (Oct 26, 2015)

beckylynne said:


> tirediron said:
> 
> 
> > My personal archival goal, as well as that of my paid work is to keep every image forever.  I use a multiple redunant back-up system, and to date (10 years+) everything is still accessible.  What I tell my clients:  I do my best within the limits of technology to ensure that all files are always available, however I do not and will not make any promises or guarentees regarding that.
> ...



Yes, 10 times the original price    Just kidding.  I couldn't help myself.


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## beckylynne (Oct 26, 2015)

JacaRanda said:


> beckylynne said:
> 
> 
> > tirediron said:
> ...


One Miiiiiillion Dollars! (Austin Powers reference.....anyone??)


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## tirediron (Oct 26, 2015)

beckylynne said:


> ...If they did come back years later would you charge them for the images?


 Aboslutely.  I'm not going to provide free storage space, but I will do what I can to help a client...


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## Dave442 (Oct 26, 2015)

I think one issue is archiving and another is what and for how long you make photos available to a client. I suppose from one side you could say that if you do not archive then you make your work scarce and that can drive up the price 

Basically I try and do what The_Traveller does as far a archiving.  I save way too many photos, my wife can cull through photos much better than me.

I did lose two months of RAW files two years ago when I had various computers and hard drives stolen and my offsite backup was not completely up to date. I did reshoot a few product shots, but the world didn't end.


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## imagemaker46 (Oct 26, 2015)

My clients get copies of the images on a DVD, what they do with them at that point I don't know. I back up everything to a portable hard drive, all my best images are stored on a portable hard drive and with another off site server.  In some cases clients have me upload everything to their own server and a remote as well.  When the first massive EMP hits, I still have a bunch of prints to look at.


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## jcdeboever (Oct 26, 2015)

I back up my files on a server that is redundant. It also includes a system image so technically there are 3 copies. My real important files are burned on double layered Blue Ray disks, cataloged, dated, and placed in a fireproof safe. It's easy for me as I am a technical computer nutjob. 

Blue ray hold a lot more data than DVD. 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


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## snowbear (Oct 26, 2015)

Not a pro photographer, but I shelled out some serious coin for a bunch of these and acid-free archival quality boxes to put them in.


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## NancyMoranG (Nov 8, 2015)

As a newbie, I read this forum to say...'someday I will be in this forum' 
But, we had a house fire 5 yrs after we were married, so no wedding album anymore for me
Back in the day of film, my guy had tossed them. So with digital, I am glad to see some of you saving them.


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## dennybeall (Nov 8, 2015)

I save everything, no reason not to. Memory is cheap. After a few years or more I will copy to DVD and stick those away. Sure, some bits may be lost but  it's a "just in case" thing. I don't do weddings though but if I did I'd save those for sure since I'd only sell prints and keep the files for future sales.


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## KmH (Nov 8, 2015)

You never know when having images archived might pay off, both for you and for a customer.

One way is a former customer suffers something catastrophic that destroys all the images you made for them.
They want another set of the images. You get another sale, and at your current prices.

Something happens that makes a customer famous, if only for a short time.
Such happened to a photographer in little Kentwood, Louisiana - pop. 2,205.
The photographer had made high school senior photos for a boy there in town.

Five years or so later in 2004 the boy married a childhood girl friend. The marriage took place at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.
But the marriage was annulled just 55 hours later.
The boy's name is Jason Allen Alexander, and his childhood girl friend had become a famous popular singer - Brittney Spears.

Lots of news and print publications wanted, and bought from the photographer, photos of the 5 year or so younger Jason Allen Alexander. Cha-Ching!


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## Directway (Nov 8, 2015)

We have a client we have  been doing family photos of for three years. They were transferred to a northern area for his job. This summer there was a massive forest fire in that area and they had to be evacuated with 20 min notice. They left every thing behind. They called us to check if we still have all their photos which we do. They would have been happy to repurchase all of them. Luckily the wind turned and none of the town was damaged. We give clients a limited guarantee of one year storage barring catastrophic equipment failure. We have a triple redundant backup system which should keep images safe indefinitely but I will not guarantee that. It did feel good to tell someone that might lose everything that at least these few memories were safe.


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