The surprising benefits of cloud-first photography

As a professional photographer, you understand the importance of post-production in creating stunning images that captivate your clients. However, one aspect that is often overlooked is the benefits of uploading your files to the cloud before even starting post-production. In this blog post, we will explore some of the advantages of a cloud-first workflow for photographers.

1. Protection against data loss

Photographers often invest countless hours in capturing the perfect shots and unrepeatable moments. Losing files due to a hardware failure, theft or natural disaster can be devastating. Cloud-based storage services offer a reliable backup option to protect against data loss. By uploading your raw files to the cloud as soon as you finish shooting, you are safeguarding your clients most-precious moments and ensuring the continuity of your business.

2. Collaboration made easy

Photography projects often involve inputs from several people, such as editors, retouchers, producers and clients. By uploading your files to the cloud, you can easily share them with your team and stake-holders, allowing for fast, efficient collaboration that doesn’t require large file transfers. You can also grant access to specific team members, ensuring that only the people who need to work on the files have access.

3. Time-saving

Uploading your files to the cloud can save you time by eliminating the need for physical storage devices. Instead of being theadered to your computer or carrying around hard drives or USBs, you can upload your files to the cloud and access them from any-time from any device with an internet connection. This can be especially useful when traveling, as you can work on your projects from anywhere without worrying about the physical storage of your files.

4. Enhanced security

Photographers often deal with sensitive data, such as photographs of children, private events or new products. Cloud-based storage services offer enhanced security features to protect against data breaches, such as encryption, two-factor authentication, and access controls. These security features make cloud storage by far the most secure medium when compared with external hard drives or NAS devices, and can give you peace of mind, knowing that your data and your clients assets are safe and secure.

5. Cost-effective

Cloud-based storage services are generally more cost-effective than physical storage devices. Instead of purchasing multiple hard drives or USBs, you can pay for cloud storage on a subscription basis, which can be more affordable in the long run. Additionally, cloud-based storage services offer scalable storage options, allowing you to pay for only the storage you need. Many providers now offer unlimited storage plans giving you predictability and peace of mind.

6. Remote Work Capability

In today's world, many professional photographers need to work remotely, whether it's because of travel, location, or current global situations. Cloud-based storage allows you to access your files from anywhere with an internet connection. This means that you can work on post-production tasks from home, a coffee shop, or even another country. The ability to work remotely can increase your productivity, reduce your costs, and allow you to leverage offshore talent from cost-effective markets.

We have seen that uploading your camera raw files to the cloud before even starting post-production can offer many benefits, including protection against data loss, easier collaboration, time-saving, enhanced security, and cost-effectiveness. With these advantages, it's clear that cloud-based storage services are a valuable tool for professional photographers.

In addition to the above benefits, cloud-based storage also offers flexibility, ease of use, and automatic backups. These features make it easier to manage and store your files, allowing you to focus on your passion for photography. So, if you haven't already, consider uploading your files to the cloud before you start post-production. You won't regret it!

Here are some common reasons why many photographers still don’t backup their camera RAW files before starting post-production.

1. Camera raw files are Large and slow to upload

One of the most common objections to uploading camera raw files to the cloud is their size. Raw photoshoots can be between 10 and 40 Gb in size, making them difficult and time-consuming to upload. However, advances in broadband and 5G mobile internet mean that even large shoots now upload in minutes instead of hours.

2. My post-production tools are Desktop based

Many post-production tools are still desktop-based, which means that they can only be accessed on one computer where they are installed. This can be a valid concern for photographers as the best editing programs like LightRoom, CaptureOne and PhotoShop are desktop based. However, these tools offer integrations with most cloud-storage providers, allowing you to work seamlessly with your preferred tools while still enjoying the benefits of cloud storage.

Additionally, new storage services are launching all the time and some of them are designed specifically for professional photographers (e.g. Hive5). They have their own built-in post-production tools, such as Remote photo culling, Workflow management and Digital download galleries. These innovations in cloud computing can help streamline your workflow and reduce the need to switch between multiple tools. 

3. Accessing large files in the browser is slow

This is a valid concern if you use generic storage providers like Dropbox and OneDrive. These services often treat RAW files as archives meaning you have to download them to work with them. New services which are designed for professional photography generate smaller proxy images for you, making them faster to work with in the browser than on the desktop. Hive5’s new remote culling tool is 40% faster than the desktop frontrunner, Lightroom.

In conclusion, uploading camera raw files to the cloud can provide a range of benefits, including enhanced security, protection against data loss, remote work capability, and cost-effectiveness. While there may be some valid drawbacks to cloud storage, these are increasingly becoming mute and are easy to overcome with a little planning. Don't let them hold you back from experiencing the many benefits of cloud storage for your photography business and personal lifestyle.

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