As an Annapolis wedding and family photographer, I want to create images that my couples and families will love forever. It’s important to me that the portraits we capture are preserved – and enjoyed. I’ve spent time over the years determining the best way to deliver these images. I always deliver my images in online galleries – it’s convenient and a great way to send images to my clients. But, to be totally honest, they’re not intended to be an archival solution for your portraits. So, today I want to share how to preserve your digital images! Things happen – after a year, the images are sent further back on the website and technology can fail all the time. So let’s avoid all of that and protect your images!

Tips on How to Preserve Your Digital Images

Online Galleries 

I love being able to deliver images through online galleries. It’s a simple way to share the final portraits, and I love how gorgeous everything looks upon delivery. But, I don’t want you to think that it’s the best way to store your final images. For storage purposes, online galleries remain active for one year. After that, the gallery is automatically compressed and placed into deeper storage on the server. This means that it may take a few hours or even days to retrieve images from the online gallery.

Put Your Images on an External Hard Drive

Another great tip for how to preserve your digital images includes how you back up your images. After you receive your online gallery, download your high-res images to at least one external hard drive as soon as you can (I like this one!). Don’t worry about sorting them – just download and back them all up. Don’t just download to your desktop or phone!

Once your images are on the hard drive, it’s important to store them safely. Keep your hard drive in a safe place, and consider making a duplicate to store elsewhere so that your images remain safe in the event of a fire or other catastrophic home event. A cloud backup is always a great option. 

Don’t screenshot your gallery! 

Don’t screenshot your gallery! Though the images may look fine on your phone, the quality will vastly degrade over time. Similarly, avoid saving images from Facebook and other social media sites, which automatically compress images. It’s better to download the images directly to your devices and the hard drive. This will ensure the copies you have are the best versions possible! 

Print your photos to preserve your digital images!

This is truly the best and most enjoyable way to protect your photos. There’s nothing like holding a print in your hand and really being present with that memory for a moment, as opposed to mindlessly scrolling through an online gallery. Plus, as your family grows, it’s amazing to watch your little ones flip through your albums and look at your portraits. As of 2024, all portrait and wedding collections include a bespoke velvet box of prints and USB in addition to the online gallery, in order to protect your investment and keep your memories safe. Learn more about our heirloom products here!

Preserving your digital images is the best way to make the most of your investment in your photo sessions. Take the time to download and backup all of your portraits from the galleries and print your favorites too. I want your memories to be safe – so I hope that these tips on how to preserve your digital images is helpful for you! It’s important to me that you can make the most of your time with me, your investment, and beautiful images.

Ready to book your Annapolis wedding photographer? Let’s chat! I’d love to document your colorful wedding day. Click HERE to get in touch.