Storage

With the growth of file sizes and the sheer number of archives created in digital photography, transferring and storing files has leaped from a simple home-computing environment to something resembling more of a business scheme (albeit on a smaller scale). Hubs, routers and network-attached storage (NAS), once confined to corporate IT departments, are now common components in the digital photographer's realm as well.

Mundane tasks like data backup and image archiving aren't as exciting as working with your images on the computer. It may be essential to protect our irreplaceable photos, and the time and creative effort we put into perfecting them, but as I write these words—"external hard drives"—I imagine your eyes are glossing over in boredom. Though necessary, backup storage devices aren't the kind of equipment typically associated with "fun."

While you may have a memory card that fits into your camera, it doesn't automatically mean that you'll get the best performance from either the card or the camera. A 1 GB CompactFlash card may promise storage for hundreds of JPEG images, but when that same card relegates the camera to performing sluggishly, we may well feel that we're more decked out for sweeping off the porch than dancing at the ball.

Although professional photographers are always searching for and approaching new clients, a large percentage of their income often comes from images they have shot in the past. Whether measured in months or years, a photographer's body of work is vital to the success of his or her business, as is the lucrative client booked for this week. That's why it's essential for professional photographers to archive and protect their images.