Your Digital Photos: Do This One Thing
If you only do one thing with your digital photos this year (or ever), do this one thing:
Back them up.
Want more organized digital photos? Great! That usually means:
- gathering them from all your devices,
- combining them into one place
- removing duplicates
- fixing misdated photos
- adding metadata
- choosing the right storage solution
- creating a system for new photos going forward.
Simple, right?
Oh, wait—now you’re overwhelmed and have quietly backed away from the idea altogether.
We get it. This process can feel like a lot. And yes, you can do it yourself (or we can help you do it), but if you do nothing else with your digital photos, taking this one step—creating a backup—is the most important thing you can do.
Why Digital Photo Backup Comes First
Organization is wonderful. But preservation comes first.
A backup protects your photos from:
- Phone loss or damage
- Computer crashes
- Accidental deletions
- Corrupted files
- “I thought they were backed up…” moments
The gold standard to backup digital photos is the 3-2-1 backup method:
- 3 copies of your data
- 2 different formats
- 1 copy stored offsite or in the cloud
But if three backups feel like too much right now, that’s okay. Let’s just focus on creating your first one.
Option 1: Back Up from Your Phone
If most (or all) of your photos live on your phone, you can start right there. Services like Amazon Photos (included with Amazon Prime), Dropbox, OneDrive, SmugMug, or Forever allow automatic background backups of your camera roll.
Once set up, they quietly do their thing—no daily effort required.
Pro Tip: Check in on these apps occasionally (monthly or quarterly) to be sure everything is syncing properly. Sometimes they need a little nudge.
Option 2: Back Up from Your Computer
If your photos live on your computer—either because you’ve moved them there or because your phone syncs to a photo library—you may want to back up from there instead.
The simplest approach? Back up your entire computer.
- Apple users: Time Machine creates a complete backup of your files, apps, and settings. If your computer ever fails, this can be a true lifesaver.
- Mac or PC users: Backblaze is a set-it-and-forget-it option that automatically backs up your files, including photos.
One reason we especially like Backblaze: it will also back up external hard drives connected to your computer. That’s a big win if your photo collection is too large for your internal drive.
“Do I Really Have to Pay for This?”
We hear this one a lot.
Subscriptions are everywhere, and it’s understandable to hesitate. But here’s the real question:
If you lost every photo and video of your family, how much would you pay to get them back?
In that light, $5–10 a month to protect irreplaceable memories feels like a pretty small investment.
Your Digital Photos: The Bottom Line
You don’t have to organize everything today.
You don’t have to rename files or sort albums.
You don’t even have to open that overflowing photo folder.
But please—back them up.
Messy photos that are backed up are infinitely better than perfectly organized photos that are gone.
And when you’re ready to take the next step? We’re here to help.
Interested in Working with Good Life Photo Solutions?
We work both in-person and remotely, serving local clients in southeastern Virginia as well as clients across the U.S. and around the world. The first step to getting started is to schedule a complimentary consultation (via Zoom or phone) to discuss your project, your goals, and how we can help bring your vision to life.
There’s no obligation to purchase additional services—just a conversation to get to know each other and explore how we can best assist you.
Schedule your free consultation today!
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