 Tara R. Swartzendruber |
How Long to Keep Client Photos Studio photographers: How long do you keep clients' photos? I have 3 years worth of clients' photos on my computer and backup. I would like to start deleting, or at least moving old photos off this computer to somewhere else. Any recommendations? I have time machine backup to an external drive, but if I delete the photos from my computer, I assume they will eventually delete off the hard drive as the backup is already full and is starting to delete old backups. Should I back up these files on another drive just to keep? Or should I just keep clients' photos for a set amount of time and then get rid of them? Any advice on what you do for clients would be great (BTW, I'm a portrait photographer, and my clients are families, etc., not businesses). Thanks!
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher  Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
I don't have any idea what everybody does about this, but I think I'd put it in the contract, whatever you decide is the limit for keeping them. That should help to handle any future questions.
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hi Tara, I keep all of my original raw images saved, and then I create a separate folder of images that are sized/cropped for posting up for clients in a private gallery with their own password. I usually remove them after a couple of years (unless I have recent purchases) but I will always keep that folder of images in case a request comes in later for them. my .02, Carlton
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Tara R. Swartzendruber |
Carolyn, that's a great piece of advice. Thanks. Carlton, How do you keep your files for backup?
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John H. Siskin |
Hi Tara, I keep files on disc or film going back at least 30 years. If a client needs something more than year old I charge to get the file for them. I keep raw files, and files I have done considerable work on. I do not keep proof quality JPEG files. After all, it is my work - why wouldn't I want to keep it? Thanks.
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hi Tara, I burn a DVD of my raw images and keep them at a friend's house (in case of catastrophic fire, etc.), and I have a DVD book of his images as well. I also burn them to 2 separate hard drives. I could also use an online storage, but I am still a bit skeptical about them and the time and space required for uploading would be cumbersome. My primary setup at home is working off of 2 active hard drives and once a drive gets full, I turn it off and set it on a shelf and turn on its replacement. (It's recommended to not fill a hard drive over about 90% of its capacity). I did just have a drive go bad, so I will replace it and transfer everything from the good drive (about 750GB worth of data/images) onto it and will probably do this twice so I can retire the other drive to the "shelf". The internal drive on my 24" IMAC just failed so I will be replacing this, too, with a faster and larger 1TB drive. I am grateful the drives are much cheaper these days and I use "Firewire" which makes the transfers & downloads much faster :) Hope this helps.
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Kathryn Wesserling |
Chances are very small for the need, but I'm thinking that you might keep (and make clients aware that you do) a few of the best. These days, it's common for families to put together "history" boards for milestone wedding anniversary celebrations or for display at funeral homes. Then again, how easily will the clients be able to find the original photographer for reprints 40 / 50 / 60 years from now?
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- Dennis Flanagan Contact Dennis Flanagan Dennis Flanagan's Gallery |
Why delete any of them? You're not talking card board boxes taking up space in a closet.
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Tara R. Swartzendruber |
they are taking up space on my hard drive that I need.
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- Dennis Flanagan Contact Dennis Flanagan Dennis Flanagan's Gallery |
Removable hard drives are relativly inexpensive. At a minimum, keep the post processed copies and get rid of the ones that never passed muster.
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