Robin

Robin
(Canon 350D F4.5 @ 1/500sec: Canon 90 – 300mm zoom lens) 

We have edited our pictures and we are happy with results now what do we do with them, how do you find one particular picture you need in six months time? Not an easy task if you just have not thought about storage or cataloguing them.  

One you have edited your pictures then the original should be stored separate, I learnt this the hard way, I had all my pictures stored in one folder, the computer crashed and I lost thousand of pictures that I no longer had copies of, years of pictures I had taken while I was in the army vanished in a split second.  

Has I previously have said I shot in RAW format, I convert these and edit the resulting image, the original file is stored on an external hard drive and only contains RAW files. If I need the original it’s a simple process to locate the particle file number.  

The edited image is stored in a folder and is named only by date that the picture was taken, this helps in locating a picture. The only problem I have is that I have lots of folders, but there are broken down into months and then into years, a lot I agree but is does help. I don’t rename the picture it just has the file number given to it by the camera when it was shot.  

I have invested in a photo catalogue, Adobe Photoshop Album, this is a god send, you can tag photos then when you require to find an image you just click on the tags you want and the picture is located, could be any simpler.  

The golden rule is to always back up your images, an external hard can cost as little as £50 for a 160GB this is able to store 10’s of thousands of images and gives you piece of mind, just remember to keep it safe and back up your pictures every time you have been out.