How to save my pictures?

Hi all,

I'm heading off to South America for 6 months in December and I will be taking my camera with me. Nothing that special just a compact digital camera. Has anyone got any suggestions for storing photos/ saving them on the road? I'll buy plenty of memory cards before I go but knowing my snap happy ways I'm sure i'll get through them quickly and i'd like to upload some photos to a computer to send home for everyone to see while i'm away (and of course have a backup).

Will I need to worry about whether computers have specific software? Anyone got any tips on the best way to store photos online while on the road? It's probably a really simple thing but I'm not sure where to start with this.

Thanks :)

Uploading photos will take too long in many internet cafes. Its fine to send a few to friends and family, update a blog etc. But backing up whole memory cards would take hours.

cheapest option is an external HDD that you copy your photos to on an internet cafe computer. Always a risk of viruses. Or cheaper still is to just buy more memory cards.

Otherwise people use netbooks and external photo HDD devices.

There was an almost identical post a few weeks back. If you do a forum search you'll find it.

In brief, your options are:

1) portable drive (use an SSD to minimise chances of a HDD crashing with your pics) - as #1 has suggested.

2) a dedicated backup unit (do a search for Nexto & Plextor).

3) sufficient numbers of larger sized SD /CF cards - but if one card goes belly-up (or gets stolen), you could lose everything.

You could also use a cloud and uplaod you pics to this, then you are not carrying the pics on you, though best to back up to 2 sources in general

#3, the cloud really isn't viable when travelling. While downloading is generally reasonable in many countries around the world, ADSL, the main technology used is very slow with uploading data. So uploading photos, could take hours, even days to do so.

Its fine for putting a photo on facebook, or emailing home, but a whole memory card..... I'd not rely on it being usable or possible.

Far point, it was suggested to me recently, and I've not used a cloud before, so I'll take you better judgement on it. Back to my main plane of a 320gb netbook and should I fill that, picking up a compact external drive.

Similar note to using cloud, I presume previous posters meant via a internet cafe or somesuch, but if you can afford to replace your camera Samsung (and I think Fuji) are just releasing wifi connected cameras, so anytime you get a wifi hotspot you can upload direct from the camera to Flickr or other sites, removes the need to bring multiple cards or portable HDD's as back up.

I've not really used a cloud before so I wouldn't want to attempt it on this trip and my camera is only about a year old so I don't want to replace it yet. I will take some kind of portable backup i think to transfer to there and just see how the internet is in the various places I am to send a few pics home. I have a number of SD cards for my camera already and I will get more before i go, that way if one or two go missing I wouldn't lose all my photos.

Will I need to worry about whether computers have specific software

Forgot to comment on your question...

Generally, if the PC has XP or better, then the computer will automatically detect your camera as an attached device (don't forget to bring at least 2 USB cables, in case one gets lost or damaged).

Once it has been detected, you can then copy the files from the SD card.

#6, you are right, however having a hotspot is one thing, having the speed to upload photos, often 10 times or more slower than the download speed is another issue.

Its probably possible travelling in places like the USA and parts or europe and asia.

Didn't see these suggested already:

• Burn to DVD/CD, then send home. Repeat as often as necessary. Send home via the surprisingly cheap and reliable Express Mail Service. EMS is an international express postal service offered by postal-administration members of the Universal Postal Union. Available in 160 countries. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Express_mail
• Review your photos at a net cafe. Pick the ones you'd use to tell a story to your friends. After you run out of ideas for stories delete the unused photos.

#8 thanks for the info regarding recognition of my camera, hopefully I won't run into too much trouble with that!

#10 I had actually considered the idea of CD/DVDs to send home... not sure about it though as it could be time consuming. May give it a go though on occasions! As for deleting photos- I'd never be able to decide which ones I didn't want until i'd got home and even then i'd be unlikely to get rid of any of them! I'm sure other people/better photographers than me would do that all the time though.

At the moment I'm personally leaning towards taking a portable backup drive with me.