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#2 BACK IT UP

It's the digital age, and I know 99% of you out there reading this post are proud owners of a digital camera (of some sort).  Whether it's a simple point and shoot, a DSLR or even a camera phone - it's pretty rare these days to run across someone without some sort of digital camera.... Anyway, my tip for this week is about the BIG BAD B WORD.... BACKUP!  We don't have film to file into boxes anymore so it's up you to take charge of your digital files and keep them safe because if you accidentally delete them, they're pretty much gone forever. You can backup a number of different ways.  My suggestion is that you choose 2 (or more) of the following: BURN IT BABY...  Burn the files to a CD/DVD and keep an organized and labeled case with all of your photos (don't forget to label the cd!)  You can buy zip disc cases at Office Max or Staples... since media is constantly changing, this is *not* the safest way to back up your files... UPLOAD THE FILES ONLINE My favorites for consumers (you) are Smugmug and Flickr... although you can also use online storage sites like Box.net, dropbox.com or photobucket.com.  The only downside this is that for most of these sites, you need to pay a fee to have access to a large amount of space - the free accounts aren't generally big enough for most people who take alot of photos.  Also, there may be fees involved if you want to have the files burned onto a disc and mailed to you... or download capability/capacity.  If you haven't used any of these sites before, I would probably start with Smugmug.  If you would've asked me last year I probably would've said Flickr, but Smugmug has a great feature where you can order a backup  disc of your images if you want the files back - which is pretty handy.  ...I will be doing a post soon outlining different online gallery/storage options so stay tuned! XFER TO AN EXTERNAL HARDRIVE I definitely highly recommend getting yourself an external hardrive.  If you take alot of photos, you know that the files add up quickly and the space on your computer hardrive fills up fast.  There are a number of awesome and affordable external hardrives out there for people just like you!  Having an external hardrive is key - especially if you back it up daily or even weekly... that way your images are protected in the event that something happens to your computer.  Believe me, multiple backups are a lifesaver - one or even two hardrives can save you alot of hassle. External hardrives are super easy to use and only require plugging in a cord from the hardrive to your computer.  They also usually last longer than internal computer hardrives, and most computers will even have a setting where you can sync up the hardrive to automatically backup, making backing up even easier! For example, if you use a Mac, you can use Time Capsule, for a PC you can use Windows Backup. If you're on the go, you can get a portable/pocket external hardrive, like the Western Digital Passport Elite... although if you're going to use something like this, I suggest also getting a larger media drive (like the Lacie Quadra) (just bigger, and usually plugs into the wall), as I've gone through a number of passport drives and it is very frustrating if you don't have the hardrives backed up!  I swear, it's a catch 22 really... What size hardrive should you buy? Buy the biggest hardrive within your price range - although it really depends on the quality of pictures you are going to take (because the quality determines the file size). If you want the meaty math breakdown - high quality image files usually range between 1-5 MB.  There are 1000 MB in 1 GB.  So do the math... If you buy a 200 GB hardrive, you will be able to store about 20,000 (1MB) images more or less.  Moreover, there are 1000 GB in 1 Terabyte... 🙂 Since external hardrives are so affordable these days, I would definitely buy the largest hardrive within my price range (like I said before).  If you take alot of photos, a 500GB hardrive would probably serve you well. Good luck!  More detailed posts breaking down the elements of this entry (hardrives, burners, online sites) will be coming soon!