Starting to Ruminate on a Major Computer / Software Upgrade

Oh, boy. Can't really believe I'm doing this. But, it's time to get my photo storage and processing more organized.

Image Source: http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=1460

 

One of the reasons that I still enjoy film photography is that I like physical artifacts - in this case, negatives. I have nicely organized notebook binders for my negatives, and can find any image I want very quickly. To be fair, the digital (scanned) versions that I have in Adobe Lightroom allow me to browse very quickly to even decide which negatives I may be interested in finding again, but that's a different matter.

 

With my digital files, I also have a logical filing system, whereby when I upload from my camera (usually by sticking the memory card in the reader on the front of my computer), I make a folder that's named with a date code (for example, August 20, 2015 is "082015") followed by a brief description of what I shot. For example, if I shot birds on August 20, 2015, the folder would be called "082015_Birds." This naming system would allow me to find most things even without my Lightroom catalog.

 

So, what problem am I trying to solve? Well, first off, I shoot raw files most of the time, which means that I fill up hard disks pretty quickly. This will only get worse as I recently bought a Nikon D810, which produces enormous files.

 

Second, I want to have a real backup (second copy) of every image. I just can't get comfortable with keeping a single copy, even with RAID (redundant array of independent disk) setups. More on that later.

 

So, lots of large files and the need for 100% backup have led me to my current configuration. That is, I have a 2Tb internal drive in my PC, which serves as my primary storage for recently-shot images. This is what I upload to from my camera. It contains all of my images from 2014, and 2015 to date. Then, I have a larger (4 Tb) external drive (Western Digital), connected through USB3. That drive has two main functions - 1) it contains primary copies of all of my earlier images (before 2009 through 2013), and 2) my internal drive mentioned above is automatically backed up to this external drive. So, the external drive is sort of a mix of primary (older) files and backups (copies) of what's on my internal drive. The backups of my older files are on separate hard disks, stored in a drawer (not live).

 

All of this works, but is not very logically-configured. The configuration grew organically, and it shows.

 

So, I'm about to embark on a data storage system improvement. I know that I'll purchase a network attached storage (NAS) device, with at least four hard disk slots. My plan will be to continue to have my most recent images on a larger (4 Tb) internal drive, and have four matching 4 Tb drives in the NAS box. The NAS will not be set up in a RAID configuration, at least not officially. It will be what is called "Just a Bunch of Disks" (JBOD).

 

Here's how I'm planning to configure the NAS:

• One drive will be dedicated to my older primary files. Backups of these files will continue to be stored on a separate drive, in a drawer (not live).
  
• The second drive will be used to automatically back up the internal 4 Tb drive in my computer, which will remain my primary drive for recent files
• The other two drives will be empty, for now.

So, why have two empty drives? Because that's my plan for the future. Namely, as my internal drive becomes full, I'll need to make a transfer. I'll take drive 2 (the backup of my internal drive) out of the NAS and put it in a drawer for long-term archive. I'll then remove the full internal drive from my computer and put it in the newly-open slot in the NAS. Next, I'll install a new internal drive, and set it up so that slot 3 in the NAS (with a new empty drive in it) is used to back up the new internal drive. I'll be able to continue this through two more iterations before my NAS becomes full. That should be quite a while.

 

I hope this makes sense. I have just decided on how I want it set up, and believe it's safer than any other RAID configuration I've come up with.

 

If one of the disks containing my older files were to fail, I'd just pull a backup drive out of the drawer. If my internal drive (with primary copy of my newest files) fails, I'll have a live backup in the NAS. The only way to lose recent data would be if my internal drive, and the NAS backup were to fail at the same time. That could happen, I suppose (e.g. a fire in my office), but it's pretty unlikely. I also like that the two copies of my recent files will be in two different boxes (one in my computer, one in the NAS). I've had a drive controller fail and ruin two copies at once in the past, and I lost data.

 

I would love to have a way to automatically upload jpeg copies of my images to a cloud storage system. I haven't figured that out yet. I have unlimited storage on flickr, but uploading is a manual and slow process. I'll work that out after setting up my local gear.

 

So, I'll work on cleaning up my data storage first.

 

Next, I'll work on improving my computer speed, as it's pretty darned slow running Lightroom. I'm strongly considering changing from my home copy of Lightroom to using Adobe's new Creative Cloud, which is a subscription model that will get me access to Lightroom and Photoshop for $10 per month. I will also likely need to upgrade my computer, internal memory, and graphics handling, but that all comes later, once my files are in order.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

An Image That Sticks in My Mind

Sunset Approaching, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

iso 400, f4, 1/640 sec

 

For various reasons, I've had very little time to get out and shoot much in the past week or so. So, I'm going back through some old images, looking for the ones that make me think "Hey, I remember that one!" The shot above is an example.

 

I shot this one right before sunset on the boardwalk in Sacramento, California. To me, it says something about aging, the passage of time. I love the texture in the wood on the boardwalk, and the paddlewheel boat in the distance.

 

Perhaps I also remember this shot because I was in Sacramento that evening to meet with some good friends that I hadn't seen in a while at that point. I spent part of our dinner time explaining why I was so pleased with the GF1.

 

I still have my GF1, even though it's multiple generations old now. The form factor is so attractive. The image quality was quite good. I find that I don't use it much anymore, but with the price of used digital gear, I'd rather keep it as my in-car camera than sell it for a little over $100. The GF1 was a ground-breaking design, in my opinion. I'm waiting for the announcement of the GX2, which should bring me back to that form factor, yet with the very latest sensor technology.

 

Maybe I'm not done with Micro 4/3 yet.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Are We Almost There? With Unobtrusive Wireless Backup, That Is?

The iPad (2, in my case) has become a major part of my life, even though I'm an Apple curmudgeon in general. And, as you may know, I still have a love for cameras that don't need a battery. But, the iPad is dragging me, kicking and screaming, into this millenium.
 
I am committed to using the iPad as backup and viewing of my photos on travel. Right now, I use the Apple SD adapter, and get a second copy onto the iPad as soon as possible after shooting. However, I typically keep the original copy on my SD card, which means having a lot of SD cards with me. So far, uploading the files to the web is too slow to be a useful third copy. Or, wireless connection in hotels is spotty enough to make it really hard. And, my iPad only has 64Gb total storage, which includes all of my business apps and work.
 
I've been looking at wireless hard drives, like the the Seagate GoFlex, which is essentially a wifi-capable mechanical hard drive.
 
(Click Here) to see the GoFlex on Amazon.
 
I've read some mixed reviews of how it works, so have not pulled the trigger.
 
Now, this morning, I saw my first solid state (as in "no moving parts") wireless hard drive, the Transcend StoreJet Cloud:

Image Source: http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-TS64GSJC10K-Information-Storejet-Cloud/dp/B006L42TL2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352461300&sr=8-2&keywords=storejet+cloud

 
The storage capacity isn't huge (64 Gb), but not bad, either. This device is marketed for use in taking all of your music and videos with you when you travel. I want to turn it around, and use it to back-up the photos I take while I'm out. I need a demo to convince me that's possible.
 
(Click Here) to see the Storejet Cloud on Amazon
 
The process I'm considering at this point is to continue to use the Apple card adapter to transfer images from my SD card to the iPad, then back it up wirelessly to something like the Storejet Cloud.
 
Then, I see this:
 

Image Source: ephotozine.com

 
(Click Here) to read about the card on ephotozine.com.
 
This is a Wi-Fi enabled SD card, which is designed specifically for use with iPad (iOS) or Android devices. If it works as I envision, I can upload directly to the iPad without the Apple adapter. I'm sure it will be slower, but it even has a mode where it will do it as I'm shooting. Now, if that ever negatively affected my shooting, it would be turned off forever. But, think how great it would be to have a backup of everything you shoot being made as you shoot, through a direct wireless connection between your camera's SD card and the iPad in your camera bag. That would be cool.
 
I don't know if it works that way.
 
Also, one more question - if I bought the StoreJet Cloud and the Wi-Fi SD, could I have the card make copies to both the iPad and the wireless hard drive at the same time? Ideally, I could save a jpeg version to my iPad, and both raw and jpeg to the hard drive.
 
Tough customer, aren't I? If this worked, I'd buy both the card and hard drive today. I think the chances of all the integration points working is very slim.
 
Note to Transcend: You now have all the pieces. Make it happen for me.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com