How To Save Photos And Videos For The Future

After you get your great photos and videos how do you save them so you can easily find and use them in 1 year, 10 years, 30 years?  Almost everyone takes lots of pictures and videos these days because there are cameras everywhere.  Most people want to save some of the best ones to enjoy later.  I still have family photos from the 1800's and treasure them.  So what should be done to make sure you can find the files you want and also use them in the future?  

On a boat off Greek Island - taken with iPhone 7+

I like and use both the easy Apple, Google, Adobe, & Flickr systems.  But I also save a copy in my own file system that is not in any software and in a universal format jpeg.  And I also have prints made of my favorite shots which are in photo albums.  

So how does this all work.  

1.  I use Apple Photos with my iPhone.  But you could just as easily use Google Photos, Flickr, Lightroom Mobile, Microsoft Photos, or a number of on line or push systems.  I look at the pictures and videos on my phone and cull the ones that are no good and do a small amount of editing.  Then I let Apple automatically push photos to my iPad & Mac where I might do a little more editing using Apple's software.  If you are in an area with no wifi you can move photos using a wire and the same Mac Photos software.  When you are finished with the Apple editing you export the keepers to a folder on and external drive or flash drive.  Do not leave a bunch of photos on your computer hard drive or SSD.  It clogs it up and you don't have the freedom to move your files around like you do with the external drive.  

2.  With all regular cameras you move your files directly to the external drive or flash drive.  Save the original and the final edited version as a jpeg.  

3.  You need to add keywords to all your good files.  Keywords are embedded into the files and you can use them ten years from now of six months from now to look up and find this file easily.  Do not let software add keywords do it yourself.  Start doing it on all your new "keeper" files.  Worry about your past files when you get around to it.  

4.  I keep folders by year and month but you can use any system that works for you.  So I have a folder for the years, months, and then within months I number the folders.  Most of the time I can find the files easily by memory but it even easier to just enter into Apple search a keyword or two and they come up almost instantly.  A windows computer does the same thing, just enter a keyword into the file search and they come back in a flash.  

5.  I have been keeping my photos and videos on line as that seemed for a few years the best way to do it.  On line storage seemed like the best way to store files a few years ago, but now it is only good as a second copy.  The problems with on line storage are;  1.  It is too slow.  2.  Your files are at the mercy of the on line company as soon as you upload them.  Just don't use on line as your only storage.  You will regret it at some point.  I could go on for quite a while with problems I have had storing on line but just take my word for it.  They are your files and if you want to keep them then they should stay in your possession.  

6.  Backup your storage file.  Now that you are safely putting your photos and video on a storage drive you need to back it up with a second drive.  I currently use disk drives, but flash drives are getting cheaper very quickly.  I have had a number of disk storage drives fail so that is why you need two.  But flash drives seem to be much more rugged.  I have yet to have a flash drive fail.  If you have a smaller amount of storage just use flash drives.  Very likely 30 years from now they will still work.  

7.  Make your best into prints.  Very likely most of the on line systems and most of the storage drives will change over the years.  Some on line systems will go out of business or close.  Most storage drives will fail or their connectors will be obsoleted.  If you print things and then save them into attractive books they will stay around the longest unless you have a fire or other natural disaster.  I still have quite a few family photos from 100 years ago and more.  They are almost all black and white prints and they have not faded at all.  

Summary 

1.  Capture image or video with any device.

2.  Save file to your drive locally 

3.  Keyword your file

4.  Make a backup

5.  Backup your backup either on line or printing or both.  

6.  Phones are great but actual cameras without a phone attached are easier to use, last longer, and work better.  Save yourself some money and buy a camera from a camera company and you will not need to spend so much on your phone or replace it as often.  

Best Ways To Get Good & Easy Great Pictures & Videos When RVing

Cell phones - Smart phones - The most popular cameras in the World are the ones that come with phones.  Generally the newer the phone and the more expensive the phone the better the camera.  This fact is exploding the number of images and videos produced Worldwide.  My latest phone an iPhone X takes very good images.  However, the latest phones are also getting more complicated to use.  And both Apple and Google have begun to lock down their software so that it is becoming more difficult to organize your images and videos in ways that don't use their software.  Google eliminated Picasa that made it very easy to take photos off your phone and put them where you wanted to.  Apple discontinued iPhoto and Aperture which also made it easy to download photos from your phone to your filing system for safe keeping.  Now both IOS (Apple) and Android (all the rest) have cloud systems which automatically file your photos in their clouds.  What this means for the amateur photographer is that five years and 10,000 photos from now you may want to save a copy of your pictures to one of your back up drives.  To do that would be very difficult and very time consuming if they are on the Apple or Google cloud.  So here is my advice - use your phones to take stills and videos but save copies on your local drive that is not in a software program.  If you are not doing that now, start today with your new images and videos.  

Taken with Minolta 600si 50mm f2.8 macro lens and Kodak Ektar

The above splendid shot was taken with a 15 year old Minolta film camera and Kodak Portra.

I love the way the new phones have advanced the technical abilities of image and video capture.  But to really improve your work you will need a real camera that does not come attached to a phone.  I have a six month old Sony compact that cost 40% of what my latest smart phone cost.  It is far more capable than the camera in my iPhone X except the iPhone is better in low light.  The compact camera can go easily from wide angle to super telephoto optically.  Even at a 500mm equivalent the images are very good.  And at 35mm equivalent the photos are sharp and color rendition excellent.  It also takes very good video and the Zeiss zoom works without adding noise to the video.  You can transfer photos and video wirelessly to your phone or computer, but it also comes with a standard SD card that makes it very easy to download files and put them where you want them.  In your file system.  You can then upload the best ones to Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, or anyone else without fighting with software.

Taken with a compact Sony super zoom camera

To get the best images and video you need a more advanced camera like a DSLR or mirrorless camera with removable lenses.  I personally like Nikon cameras, but there are a number of good brands like Canon, Sony, Olympus, Fuji, Pentax, and others.  Of course if you are rich get a Leica or a Hasselblad, I would if I had lots of money to spend on my hobby.  To me the best camera to get good and easy images and video in the more advanced category are a mid sized sensor based model.  This is the Nikon or Canon "crop" sensor based cameras.  Olympus uses micro 4/3rds which is also fine.  And Fuji is crop sensor for most of their bodies.  The cost for this type of camera with lens is between $600-1,700.  A Leica is more like $9,000.  And on the Hasselblad, if you have to ask you cannot afford it.

Shot with Nikon D5500 and 35mm f1.8 lens

 And then we have film cameras.  Analog film cameras have made a come back.  A lot more people have started shooting film today compared to 7-10 years ago when film almost died.  I shoot film all the time and can tell you my opinion is that if you want to get interesting and artistic images you should consider film.  Photo film does not produce the same product as digital.  Film uses a random pigment process and digital is a geometric pixel.  The result is not the same.  Outdoor full sun mid day images come out much better from film than digital.  However, inside shots with various lighting is much more difficult to get right with film compared to digital.  But if you keep it simple and get a reliable camera or two and stick with just a couple of films that you know work you should be fine.  Keep in mind that excellent to outstanding film cameras cost $20-200 with lens.  A Leica is more like $2,000.  If you don't have a film camera and want one just get a major brand SLR from a used camera store or ebay.  It will be much simpler to find a used camera store.  That way you can return it if it does not work.

Consider making prints if you shoot digital or film.  Apple makes it easy to do so along with a lot of other people.  And make photo albums.  Photo albums last pretty much forever and are very very easy to use.  Just open the book.  No computer or electronics needed.