There is nothing quite like the feeling of opening your gallery for the first time. Salty hair, sandy toes, golden light, all those in-between moments captured and handed back to you to keep. But once that gallery lands in your inbox, there is one more step worth taking, and it is one that is easy to put off and thats backing up your photos.

Why It Matters

Your gallery holds a season of your family that will never happen again. This year, this age, this exact light on this exact afternoon. It is easy to assume it will always be there, sitting safely online, ready whenever you want it. But phones get lost & hard drives could fail.

I keep every client gallery in my online storage for twelve months. After that, the images are removed to make way for new sessions. So while I love knowing your gallery is safe with me in the meantime, the safest place for it long term is with you, backed up in more than one place.

How to Back It Up

The good news is that backing up your gallery does not need to be complicated. Here is what I recommend to every client.

1. Download the full gallery to your computer

Start with the basics. Download every high res image straight from your gallery link onto your computer or laptop. This gives you a local copy that is not dependent on any online platform staying active.

2. Save a second copy to a cloud based platform

Once you have your photos saved locally, upload them to a cloud based service as well, somewhere like Google Photos or Dropbox. This way, even if something happens to your computer, your gallery is still safely tucked away somewhere else.

3. Consider an external hard drive for extra peace of mind

An external hard drive is a lovely low cost way to keep a third copy of your favourite images. It does not need to be anything fancy, just something you can plug in every so often to keep your memories safe.

4. Print your favourites

Slow down and choose a few images to print. Whether it is a framed piece for the wall or a small photo book for the shelf, there is something grounding about holding a photograph in your hands rather than only ever seeing it on a screen. I love printing my own family photos and I know my son loves looking at the photos on the wall.

A Gentle Reminder

I always hold space for your gallery for a year after your session, but that window will not stay open forever. If you have not already, take a few minutes this week to download your photos and store them somewhere safe.

Future you, flicking back through these images in ten years time, will be so glad you did.

Thank you, as always, for trusting me to capture these moments exactly as they are. This season, and every season after it.