Photographers are a funny bunch and probably make good pets. We have some interesting traits that may include being control freaks, independent, resourceful, creative, passionate, obsessive, loyal, vulnerable and hoarders.
Photographers love collecting and hoarding camera bags, lenses, and photos. The advent of digital brought the ability to keep every image we create. You can do the same with film but it requires large physical resources, good librarian skills and a larger investment to keep track of everything.
But why do we keep every image? Do we need to?
Professional photographers may have a financial investment in their image collection. For example, family portraits, celebrities, landscapes, images of historic importance, etc. But many types of images do not. How do you monetise storage of every wedding photo, every corporate portrait, every public relations event? When’s the last time someone asked for an image from your archive?
Hundreds of thousands of high resolution raw images requires tens of terabytes of storage. Which needs to be backed up, with three copies. Estimated value of the professional grade hardware alone is thousands of dollars. Add the time involved managing the image collection and you could be spending tens of thousands of dollars a year storing images that have no commercial value.
Then there is your personal work and family photos. Chances are you won’t skimp on those, so add that to your expense.
So why do we save every photo? Is the answer, “Because we can!“? Â Head over to Linkedin and let me know.