Favourite Things Friday

Back up your images. Back up your images. Back up your images. Back up your images. Back up your images. Back up your images. Back up your images. Back up your images. Back up your images !!!!!!!!!

Yesterday I posted on my facebook page about the importance of backing up your images. I didn’t mention why, but I will now. My mom and dad came over to watch a video that I had of Hayden drumming like a maniac on Darren’s drum set. So I pulled up my folder where my videos are stored and all I am left with is a horrible message saying “Source Not Found”. Hmmm that’s odd. I didn’t move them, or delete them so they have to be there somewhere. To make a long story short …. NOPE they were GONE. Every.Single.Video I had taken since 2009. Enter panic. Every trip we have been on, Hayden’s first year (felt like I could have vomit at the thought of losing those!) and just random fun moments in our life.

So here is the silver lining …. I had backed them up! Not just in one spot, but in three. You see I have nightmares about this sort of thing. Photos and videos are something I value with my whole heart. A chronicle of your life story … what is that worth? Well to me, it’s the world.

This story could have had a much sadder ending, but fortunately for me and my family it doesn’t.

So I want to ask you … how often do you back up your personal photos and videos?! I would HIGHLY recommend doing this at least once a month. Using an external drive is an easy and affordable option. Even better, use two. One to keep at home and one off site in case of fire. Also, as a third method burn to disk and give extra copies to family members. I brutally edit our personal images to ensure we only keep the best. In an age where we can take 100 photos of our kids playing at the beach, or 400 photos after a fun night out the value of the photos seems to decrease. Instead focus on keeping QUALITY over QUANTITY and managing your photos becomes WAY easier. And don’t forget to PRINT them too !!!! Photos are meant to be displayed and shared, not just on Facebook, but in albums and prints to cherish for years and generations to come. Remember how much you loved looking through photo albums as a child (and probably still do!) Get those photos printed 🙂 !!!

That is my rant 😉 Hope it might help save someone from having that sick moment where your hard-drive crashes and you lose everything. I promise next weeks post will be a lot more upbeat and positive 😉