Black and white, eternity and how not to lose your photos
Why I keep coming back to black and white, and a few simple tips so your photos last as long as your story.
Why do I like black and white photography so much? Maybe because it reminds me of eternity, the way every love story should be.
Without colour, only the things that matter remain: a look, a hand held tight, an unexpected smile. The eyes never lie, and in black and white that shows even more.
I don't convert everything. But when a frame has strong emotion and good light, black and white strips away everything that's extra. The father holding his son, the bride taking a deep breath before walking in. At every event I deliver a black and white selection alongside the colour photos.
Speaking of eternity, I also have to tell you something less romantic. I've heard too many stories about stolen laptops, phones dropped in water and USB sticks that won't open anymore. And with them, wedding photos lost forever. So here is a simple recipe for normal people, no tech jargon.
Keep your photos in at least three places. One on your computer, one on an external hard drive in a drawer, and one in the cloud, like Google Photos, iCloud or Dropbox. If one fails, the other two are still there.
Don't rely on the download link. Many online galleries expire after a while. Download your photos in the first week, at full resolution, and not only to your phone.
The drive in the drawer isn't eternal. Once a year, plug it in and check that it opens. Every few years, copy everything to a new one. It takes ten minutes and saves you a big regret.
And print. Honestly, the safest backup is an album on a shelf. It needs no password, no power and no subscription, and your kids will flip through it thirty years from now. A few large black and white prints on a wall might be the most beautiful thing you can do with them.
If you have questions about keeping your photos safe, write to me any time, even years after the event. I'm happy to help.