I transfer the photos, via a card reader, to either the hard drive of our coputer, or a portable hard drive attached to that computer..

I then look for the shots I want, assuming I took the pictures for a purpose..

After looking at them using the Filmstrip feature in Windows, I open a few I like using Photoshop Elements to check on sharpness, and, if needed, expressions on the people, etc..

I generally then rename and save the best shots in a file related to a project,..

Sometimes I then go over all the shots and delete the real losers, although all to often I don;t bother, which is why I need another hard drive..

BAK..

I download them off the camera to a dedicated HD and periodically backup to a portable HD. The Canon S/W sorts them into dated folders. I sometimes append a description to the date. As soon as I get a chance I go through them to decide if any are worth working on, LOL. I use Canon DPP to do most of my processing and store those in a sub-folder below the one I'm working from labeled JPegs. Sometimes I bring them into PSE as RAW or TIFFs but I'm still learning that program.



Http://douginoviedo.smugmug.com/..

I start by downloading everything to my laptop. Then all images are backed up to a cd (I print a thumbnail of each image and store in a three ring binder with cd) and also to an external hard drive. The files on the laptop are then deleted. Any good images are brought back to the laptop for work in PhotoShop. These images get saved the same as the original files..

I use the date and brief discription as the file titles. I generally reference the cd because I have the thumbnail image to look at.Dale..

Andmmy wrote:.

Let's say you went out and took 100 pictures. Now what? Do youupload them to a site like pbase, flickr, snapfish in order to nottake up room in your hard drive?.

Hard drive space is cheap. I keep all of my digital photos (and negative scans of many of my film photos) on my hard drive. Recordable CDs and DVDs are cheap, too. I would NOT depend on an Internet site to keep my only copy of any image (and I would recommend keeping at least two local copies of any image)..

Do you photoshop them after youupload them or before you upload them? Do you download the pics fromyour camera to your computer then edit them later?.

I do any significant post-processing on a computer...

Daleofmesa wrote:(I print a thumbnail of each image and store in a.

Three ring binder with cd).

I love this idea. I have alot of disc but didn't think of doing a thumbnail page and binder to go with it..

Thanks for the tip...

Certainly I have an elaborate back-up strategy, if my PC ever died or was stolen, but I do have a 180 GB disk in my PC ... and so, among the other backups, I keep one copy there..

I remember the idea of having great images that ended up in the drawer, and were forgotten about. So it seems important to me to have one copy that is always just a few mouse clicks away..

Sometimes I look at my older images, from 2003 or whatever. Some of them aren't too bad ... so it's fun...

I'm running into the same problem. One "expense" that you don't think of as you buy a new cam is that the higher megapixels take up much more room. I strongly recommend against using an internet site to store your photos, I use them only to share. My friend uploaded to Kodak's site (forget the name) and he said that he no longer has access to the original, high quality photo, only a thumbnail and a med. sized image. Its still there b/c you can order photos.

In addition, who's to know when flickr or any other site will go out of business. Plus the time taken to upload all the images is a waste..

I would recommend a "system" perhaps. This is what I do. I have photos uploaded to my desktop that are still to be processed. I keep all originals, unaldulterated as well. Make a sub folder labeled "altered", then the photos I change up (crop, adjust, etc), I put here. Then I have a folder at same level as "altered" called "developed", this is where I put the jpegs from my RAW file..

Once they are done, I have an external harddrive, connects via USB, it's 250GB and was only like $99 or so. I put the images there. Every month or so, I archive the photos to a DVD disk (holds 4GB I believe). I also print out a contact sheet that has a sampling of the images on that disk. Then put that away..

Then around the same time I archive to DVD, I also delete from desktop. So I have them in two places: external harddrive and DVDs. DVDs will probably last 5-10 years if you keep them properly. So keep that in mind and date when you made the DVD. As somebody else stated, harddrive space is dirt cheap and gets cheaper all the time. I like using an external drive b/c I'm on the road alot, so if I want to bring it, it's portable.



Blog: http://novicephotog.blogspot.com/Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9778447@N07/..

My work flow:a) Upload to an external hard drive.b) Rename to date/time.c) Process in PSE4.d) Save at quality 8 over original.e) Update to 2 internet sites..

Sometime ago, I lost a hard drive, and was not able to recover all my photo files from cd backups. I now trust the internet sites more than I trust myself - they do more reliable backups, I am sure. I chose flickr as one of my photo sites, because they have the big name support of Yahoo. My other site is phanfare, because they also host videos.JonathanF..

For what it's worth....

1. Copy (not Move) the photos from memory card to PC(Into "New Photos for Filing" folder).

(Ideally the memory card is not re-used until I have at least 2 backups of the photos, as per the following steps).

2. Backup the new photos to external HDD(I now have 3 copies - memory card, PD, external HDD).

3. "File" the photos on my PC - that isa. Delete the absolute failuresb. Rename the image files to my naming convention (yyyymmdd-nnnn-xx)c. Move the image files to the relevant folder(s) on my PC.

(I file photos by year and/or subject. This means I can readily find photos without having to use Photoshop Catalogue if necessary)d. Import to Photoshop Catalogue - tag with subjects etc..

4. Backup the entire folder(s) to external HDD(I keep several generations of each folder).

5. Backup Photoshop Catalogue to DVD.

(OK, I don 't do this every time I import new photos - but as often as reasonable).

6. Cull the photos by moving "discards" to external HDD.

(photos not good enough to keep on first glance, but I'm not ready to delete them altogether yet)(By tagging, moving and hiding them via Photoshop Catalogue)(This keeps down space usage on my laptop HDD).

7. Periodically, review the "discards" and delete the ones I really don't need.

(e.g. it's 6 months later and I'm wondering why I kept it at all, and/or the "best shot" has been successfully post-processed and printed, etc).

So when do I actually get around to post processing and printing?!?!?.

Depends on the urgency etc - If I'm keen to get into them and I have the time to give the attention they deserve, then after Step 3 at the earliest. But some photos I don't get to until months after the event. Depends..

But I always pay attention to filing and backup before I give in to the temptation to play with the photos. And every since my first serious computer failure I have been very glad I do this!.

For "family album" I go through the photos about every 3-6 months and select 50-100 to be printed en masse for the album..

Image control:Zoom outZoom 100%Zoom inExpand AllOpen in new window..

I have both a D50 and a D80..

1. Offload from SD card to separate dedicated folders on my D drive for my D50 and D80 (D drive only used for these folders and as a cache for Capture NX.).

2. Batch rename the photos copying them to separate dedicated D50 and D80 offload folders on my C drive just adding DSC8_ or DSC5_ to distinguish the camera.

3. Sort the photos using Irfanview in dedicated sort folders where D50 and D80 shots are mixed and sorted on time of taking. (I have 9 dedicated sort folders but normally only use three) N.B. Do synchronise the clock on both cams if you do a sort based on time otherwise you have problems!.

4. PP the best and move them plus batch processed jpegs of the ordinary shots (I shoot RAW for my serious shooting) to folders named after the event (more usually sub folders within more generic descriptions e.g "opera") (bining the rejects along the way).

5. Copy the new (sub)folders to my USB external E drive.

6. Upload my best shots in jpeg to Zenfolio.

7. Tidy up by deleting the original photos from the dedicated offload files on the C and D drives and reformat the SD cards..

Thus I always have three copies of my photos at different sources..

I rarely print shots these days. I print only ther very best. Good online storage is a much better and a cheaper substitute and gives me the insurance of backup to boot. It allows others to print their own copies (If I allow it) and not at my expense. OK quality is not quite as good as a decent print but I can be more choosy about which to print and maybe reprocess the NEF to get the very best out of the shot..

P.S. It is not just those with two cameras who need to rename their files. If you own two Nikons serially you are in danger of overwriting identically named files! Best to rename now then in 5 years time you will instantly know the approximate age of the shot from the file name. (My oldest shots are 8 years old).

It need not cost you anything. Irfanview is a free download and will both batch rename your files and gives you an excellent sort tool (3 keystrokes per photo). It also instantly reads the jpegs in my NEFs..

Chris Elliott.

*Nikon* D Eighty + Fifty - Other equipment in Profile.

Http://PlacidoD.Zenfolio.com/..

Riceowl wrote:.

.....I strongly recommend against using an internet siteto store your photos, I use them only to share. My friend uploadedto Kodak's site (forget the name) and he said that he no longer hasaccess to the original, high quality photo, only a thumbnail and amed. sized image. Its still there b/c you can order photos. He maynot be correct, but that is what he claimed. In addition, who's toknow when flickr or any other site will go out of business.



Why so dogmatic?.

1. It would be foolish to keep your only backup copy on a photos site but it makes sense to use one as part of your insurance. If you chose the right site you not only have permanent access to your original files but also friends or the whole world can download the originals (You chose zero access to original file, password access or unlimited access on whole galleries and/or individual photos)..

2. Your friend's claims are a poor basis for dogmatic recommendations to others a) he may be plain wrong or b) he made a poor choice of site. On Zenfolio and others good sites you have access to your originals (which can each be up to 10MB file size)..

3. Of course sites may go out of business. But they are businesses and will sell on the "asset" of their customers. That is what has happened with the few failures of which I am aware. Your photos are crossloaded to another site and you have the option of offloading them from the original site and shopping elsewhere or taking a subscription with the new site. That is good enough..

4. Time taken to upload? Where is the problem. With Zenfolio I can cut and paste whole folders and batch upload them. I recently uploaded 2 x 300MB plus without problems (Kept meaning to sort some old family photos before uploading but eventually decided to upload them and sort them later. Meantime they are locked and not viewable by anbody save by me or others with password access). I let Zenfolio upload in the background while I got on with other things..

No way should anyone rely upon online photo sites as their only copy but my photos are safer than yours. On your description a house fire/flood or whatever would wipe out all copies. I would have the assurance that I could begin again quckly uploading my photos to a new PC..

All good photo sites have redundant storage at several locations (Check that they do before you give them your money). You would be most unlucky to have a series of distasters that lost all copies of your photos..

Chris Elliott.

*Nikon* D Eighty + Fifty - Other equipment in Profile.

Http://PlacidoD.Zenfolio.com/..