What is the 3-2-1 backup rule?

Keep three copies of your files, stored on at least two different kinds of media, with at least one copy in a different physical location. The file you work from counts as one of the three copies.

Is Google Drive or Dropbox enough to back up photos?

They can serve as your off-site copy, but a sync folder on its own is not a backup: an accidental deletion propagates to every device. Use their version history, or pair them with a copy that does not sync automatically.

Do photographers need a NAS?

A NAS is convenient once you shoot enough that copying to single drives becomes a chore, and it handles versioning well. It is not off site, so it never replaces the third copy. A shelf of labelled external drives plus a cloud archive covers the same rule for less money.

Should I back up RAW files or only the edited JPEGs?

Back up the selected RAW files together with the full-resolution exports and your catalogue or sidecar files. The exports are what the client sees; the RAWs are what let you produce a different crop, a different print size or a reprint five years later.

How long should I keep client photos?

Set the period in your contract and design the archive around it. Many photographers guarantee availability for one to two years and archive the selected files for much longer. What matters is that the client knows the date, and that your storage plan matches the promise.

Is a client gallery a safe place to store my archive?

A client gallery is the delivery layer, not the archive. It holds the finished exports the client is meant to see. Your RAW files, catalogue and unselected frames belong in storage you control, backed up under the 3-2-1 rule.

Photographers & studiosBlog

3-2-1 backup for photographers: how to protect your photos

Three copies, two kinds of media, one copy off site. The 3-2-1 rule applied to a working photographer's archive: what to copy before you format the card, what to keep after delivery, and why a client gallery is a delivery layer rather than a backup.

Paweł Mioduszewski11 July 20266 min read

Three copies of every photo, on two different kinds of media, with one copy stored somewhere else. That is the 3-2-1 rule, and it is the shortest complete answer to how a photographer protects an archive. Everything below is that sentence turned into a routine you can run after every session.

Photographers rarely lose photos in a dramatic way. There is no fire. A card gets formatted before the second copy exists, an external drive dies quietly after four years of being carried in a backpack, or a cloud folder syncs a deletion that somebody made by accident. The 3-2-1 rule exists because none of those events are unusual, and because any one of them is enough to lose a wedding.

Feature	Working drive	External drive	NAS at home	Cloud archive
Role in the rule	Copy 1, you edit here	Copy 2, second medium	Copy 2, with versioning	Copy 3, off site
Speed when editing	Fast	Usable	Depends on your network	Not for editing
Survives fire or theft at home	No	Only if stored elsewhere	No	Yes
Cost shape	One-off, high per terabyte	One-off, low per terabyte	One-off, plus drives to replace	Monthly, forever
Main failure mode	Sudden death, no warning	Dropped, or dies of old age	Deleted by you, or by ransomware	You stop paying

3-2-1 backup for photographers: how to protect your photos

Galleries that feel
made for one couple.

What does the 3-2-1 backup rule mean for a photo archive?¶

How photographers actually lose photos¶

Where should each copy live?¶

The ingest routine: what to do before you format the card¶

After delivery: what stays in the archive?¶

Is a client gallery a backup?¶

How do you know the backup works?¶

Frequently asked questions

3-2-1 backup for photographers: how to protect your photos

Galleries that feelmade for one couple.

What does the 3-2-1 backup rule mean for a photo archive?¶

How photographers actually lose photos¶

Where should each copy live?¶

The ingest routine: what to do before you format the card¶

After delivery: what stays in the archive?¶

Is a client gallery a backup?¶

How do you know the backup works?¶

Frequently asked questions

Galleries that feel
made for one couple.