As digital cameras explode, the number of photos taken has increased substantially and you are using Online Photo Storage more and more.
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Thus the need for cheap photo storage solutions.
Over time, various physical devices for data and photo storage were developed but today, the cloud back-up services seem to be the ultimate perfect solution that meets the needs of multiple user categories.
Online vs physical solutions. Why does online get all the love?
Dropbox, one of the first cloud storage company, was founded out of a frustration of the founder who kept losing his flash drive.
Cloud storage can be accessed from anywhere.
However, based on the same comparison criteria, both worlds have advantages and disadvantages.
Cost
A few years ago, the physical photo storage devices seem more advantageous in terms of cost since there was a one-time-only payment and not a monthly or yearly subscription.
However, today, the cloud services seem to have enrolled in a race to the bottom.
Many services offer generous or even unlimited free storage space or work in a freemium system where you can use the platform for free and add benefits through a very low monthly or yearly subscription.
Accessibility
The flash drive fits in your pocket, you can put a CD in your purse or use an SD memory card that would fit in your phone. In terms of accessibility, physical storage devices became more efficient over the years.
However, they get easily misplaced or easily forgotten.
The cloud services allow you to access your data, photos, videos or audio files from anywhere in the world on any computer or mobile device.
All you need is internet access.
Recovery
The hard drive is highly susceptible to power surges or shocks of any kind or simply no obvious reason file corruption.
The lifespan of a flash drive is estimated at 10 years if you just let it sit in a cool dry place.
Multiple usages will eventually wear out the device.
The CDs or DVD’s life expectancy is dramatically reduced by handling, environmental conditions, the quality of the recording or the manufacturing quality.
Recovering data from all these physical devices can be very difficult and sometimes impossible.
All cloud storage platforms have a backup solution in case something goes wrong.
That is why you can use those platforms as a back up in case your physical HDD crushed and rest assured that your precious photos will never be lost.
Syncing
Many online storage services offer the possibility to edit or alter your photos right on the platform.
Click save, and they will automatically sync and show the changes on all affiliated devices.
You can see your photos on your mobile, iPad or laptop.
All you need is internet access.
The physical storage devices are bound to the site, and the transfer needs to be done manually.
You may end up with different versions of the same photo on various devices, and it may get hard to know which is the last version.
Security
From the security point of view, it may seem safer to store your data on your hard drive.
You know you own the data and that it is safely in your home.
However, many cloud service providers go over the top with security protocols.
They guarantee that your photos or other data do not fall into the wrong hands and prevent them from getting lost.
Storage space
A CD can store up to 700 MB, a DVD took mobile storage one step further and raise the capacity to 4.7 GB.
Memory cards can hold up to 256 GB while Flash Drives reach the record braking capacity of 2TB.
In terms of storage capacity, it seems that the physical storage devices offer enough options to work with.
Some cloud services, such as Google Storage offer unlimited storage while others limit the storage space with the possibility of increasing it based in a monthly or yearly subscription.
Pros and Cons for online storage services
It seems that compared to physical services, the online solutions are entitled to get all the love.
If you are still not convinced that this is the right solution for you, let’s see a few pros and cons that might help make up your mind.
Top five advantages of online storage services
Shareability
Whether we are talking about an important family event or you are a professional photographer looking for a way to make your amazing work known, an online photo storage platform is the easiest way to upload your photos and share them with friends, family or clients.
Some platforms offer social media integration while others offer the possibility to create groups of interests and shared photos among the same group.
Increase visibility by tagging
An online photo sharing platform is a great way to increase visibility for your work.
Many photo sharing sites offer the possibility to tag your photos for places, subjects or people.
In this way, other members of the community can find and view photos from similar geographical areas or similar subjects.
Increased visibility will further lead to business growth for professional photographers.
Organization
Online photo storage platforms have easy to use features for organizing your photos into groups and albums of specific event or subject.
You can sort your pictures based on year, location, people, events or subject and search them very easily.
Back up
Many platforms offer advanced back-up systems in case of unexpected events.
You can rest assured that none of your precious memories will get lost or damaged.
Access for friends and family
Many online photo storages offer the possibility to create groups of people and give access to specific photos.
Now there is no need to transfer large files via email.
Your friends and family can see your photos right on the platform.
And yet, there are a few concerns you need to pay attention to when deciding to use an online photo storage platform:
Accessibility
All platforms are completely dependent on internet. No internet, no access to your data.
Bandwidth
Some cloud storage platforms have limited bandwidth allowance.
Large files and full resolution photos might take longer to load.
Data security
There are a lot of online photo storage platforms that still have loose safety and data security policies.
Software
If you want to have access to your photos all the time on any device, you will have to install the service on all devices.
An online photo storage is an easy, inexpensive and accessible solution that meets the needs of many categories of users.
Make sure you get all the information necessary to handle and avoid these disadvantages.
Old School Printed Pictures
If you are more Old School then printing your pictures is likely what you want.
Bringing in your memory stick is likely your go to path, but consider using online photo printing.
Many printers allow this and you will be able to pre-crop and adjust your pictures.
This will give you the best bang for the buck.
Memory Sticks
Memory sticks are commonly used for Picture storage, however SIM Cards are even more widely used.
The SIM Cards are more fragile and subject to damage and breakage, and its hard to mark them for what type of pics you have.
The upside is that SIM Cards are so compact that you can store literally hundreds of thousands of pictures in a box.
Going thru these pics has turned into a very tuff job.
We recommend SIM Card storage simply for archiving your pics.
