Tech Tips - Managing Photos

Do you have a digital camera? Or take photos with the camera on your phone? Or scan all your photos onto your computer?

If you answered yes to any of these questions chances are you have digital photo files on your computer.

Many if not all of your photos are irreplaceable. Ensure your family’s legacy by making sure your photos are backed up to secure location.

Here are some types of options for storing, backing up, and even sharing your digital photo files.

***Disclaimer: FOV does not endorse any of these products.

- Online sharing sites like Flickr, Snapfish, SmugMug, and even Picasa offer a safe place to store or backup your photos. They also include other features like photo editing tools, organizing tools, sharing tools that let you control who is allowed to see your photos, and product tools that you let you build custom products with your photos on them. Many of these sites also have apps you can use on your phone to edit, share, and upload photos quickly and easily.

- External Hard Drives are a great way to keep your photos safe and secure. Pick a storage size that works for you and then start reading reviews. You want a quality drive that will last but you are also going to want a warranty in case anything goes wrong. Don’t forget to lock up your external drive in a fireproof safe every night.

Places NOT to store your photos:

- Thumb drives can stop working over time. They can also easily be lost.

- Discs are extremely prone to being scratched and can easily be mixed up with other discs if not stored properly.

- Your local computer is prone to infection and hardware malfunctions. If it is a laptop, it is also more prone to theft.

A final note: I find that I have way too many digital photos to manage in a timely manner. I like to edit my photos before posting them for friends and family. However if I wait until I have time to do that before I upload my photos there is a lot of time that my photos could be compromised or lost. I will generally upload my photos to a safe storage site as soon as possible and set the privacy to Only Me until I can get around to editing, tagging, and labeling my photos properly. Finding the right tools for managing your photos will make the task much less daunting.

~These Caregiver Tech Tips are brought to you by Maria Evangelista courtesy of Family Of A Vet

Family of a Vet, Inc., disclaims any and all liability for damage to your computer by following the tech tips provided. This includes damage to the hard drive, motherboard, keyboard, DVD drive/CD drive, USB ports, monitor, keyboard, speakers, mouse, or any other peripheral devices such as but not limited to printers, phones, ipods, and external drives/storage devices. Nor is FOV responsible for any third party software, malware, spyware, viruses, or Trojans that may appear or be downloaded, with or without your knowledge and consent, onto your computer. Following these tech tips are entirely at your own risk, caution, and liability.