As a photographer, having enough storage space for all your photos and videos is crucial. But with external hard drives coming in so many different storage sizes, how do you know which one to get? The amount of storage you need depends on several factors – like what types of files you shoot, how much you shoot, and how long you keep your files. In this article, we’ll cover how to calculate your storage needs and recommend the best hard drive sizes for different types of photographers.
What Impacts Hard Drive Storage Needs
When deciding how big of an external hard drive you need, there are several key factors that determine your storage requirements:
- File types and sizes – Raw photos, JPEGs, and video files vary greatly in size. Raw files take up a lot more space.
- Quantity of images and videos – The more you shoot, the more storage you’ll need.
- Length of storage – Keeping files for many years takes up more space than deleting them regularly.
- Backup needs – Storing backups of your work requires additional storage.
- Resolution – Higher resolution images and videos require more storage space.
The combination of these factors will dictate how much storage space you should look for in an external hard drive. Let’s explore each of these in more detail.
File Types and Sizes
The type of files you use – JPEGs, Raw images, or video files – have a big impact on storage needs. Here’s an overview of how much space these common photo/video formats take up:
- JPEG: Typically 1-8 MB per image.
- Raw: Usually 15-80 MB per photo, depending on resolution.
- PNG: Around 2-4 MB, sometimes larger.
- TIFF: Uncompressed TIFFs can be 200+ MB.
- HEIC: Half the size of a JPEG, around 1-3 MB.
- Video: Video files vary based on length, resolution, bitrate, and codec. Generally, 1 minute of 4K video is about 375 MB.
As you can see, Raw files take up a lot more space than JPEGs. So if you primarily shoot in Raw, you’ll need a larger drive. Video files also eat up storage quickly.
Quantity of Photos/Videos
In addition to file types, the actual amount of images and videos you store plays a huge role. A photographer who takes 500 photos per week will fill up a hard drive much faster than someone who only takes 100 pics per week.
The more you shoot, the bigger hard drive you’ll need. Think about how many photos/videos you currently take per shoot and in total per week or month. This will give you an idea of how quickly you’ll fill up storage space.
Length of Storage
Do you delete photos and videos right after each project or do you archive them for years? Your storage timeline has a big impact on drive size.
Photographers who regularly delete old files after 1-2 years can get by with less storage space. But if you archive all your work indefinitely, you’ll need a much larger hard drive to accommodate decades’ worth of images and videos.
Backup Needs
It’s essential to back up your photo and video libraries in case you ever lose your primary copies. But doing backups effectively doubles your storage requirements.
For example, if you estimate needing 2 terabytes for your main library, you’ll want an additional 2 TB to back that up to a separate hard drive. Keep this in mind when sizing your storage needs.
Resolution
Higher resolution cameras and video produce much bigger file sizes. A 50 megapixel camera will generate photos 2-3 times larger than a 20 megapixel camera. And 4K video requires a ton more storage than 1080p or 720p footage.
So if you’ve upgraded your gear to shoot higher resolution images/videos, plan for external drives that can accommodate the extra large file sizes.
Storage Size Recommendations
With those storage factors in mind, here are some general external hard drive size recommendations based on different types of photographers:
Casual Photographers
For casual photographers who don’t shoot very frequently, mostly take JPEGs, and delete files after 1-2 years, a 500 GB to 1 TB hard drive is usually sufficient.
Enthusiast/Semi-Pro Photographers
For enthusiast to semi-pro photographers who shoot in Raw, take hundreds of photos per week, and archive for several years, 2-4 TB is recommended.
Professional Photographers
For busy professionals who shoot frequently, keep Raw + JPEG files, create backups, and archive for decades – 4 TB or more is recommended.
Videographers
For videographers shooting a combination of 4K, 1080p, and 720p footage – or large amounts of high res footage – hard drives 8TB and above are recommended.
These are just general guidelines – your specific needs may vary based on your unique workflow. To calculate your ideal hard drive size, let’s go through some examples.
Calculate Your Photo/Video Storage Needs
To determine the ideal hard drive size for your needs, follow these steps:
- Estimate what resolution and file types you use, along with typical file sizes.
- Calculate how many photos/videos you take per shoot and in total per month.
- Estimate how long you store files before deleting.
- Factor in backups if you do multiple copies.
- Plug your numbers into a storage size calculator.
Let’s walk through some examples for a JPEG photographer, Raw photographer, and videographer.
JPEG Photographer Storage Needs
Let’s say you’re a JPEG photographer who:
- Shoots with a 24MP camera, with file sizes around 8 MB.
- Shoots approximately 300 photos per week.
- Keeps files for 2 years before deleting.
- Does a single backup copy.
Doing the math:
- 300 photos per week x 8 MB per photo = 2,400 MB per week.
- 2,400 MB x 52 weeks x 2 years = ~250 GB for your primary library.
- Add another ~250 GB for the backup copy.
- Total estimated storage needed: ~500 GB
So in this example, a 500 GB to 1 TB drive would be a good fit.
Raw Photographer Storage Needs
Now let’s look at a Raw photographer who:
- Shoots 50MP Raw photos averaging 50 MB.
- Shoots about 800 photos weekly.
- Keeps files indefinitely.
- Does backup copies.
Calculating the numbers:
- 800 photos x 50 MB per photo = 40,000 MB per week
- 40,000 MB x 52 weeks x 5 years = ~10 TB for the primary library
- Add another ~10 TB to back that up.
- Total estimated storage needed: ~20 TB
For archiving this amount of Raw photos long-term, a 20+ TB RAID array would be recommended.
4K Videographer Storage Needs
Finally, here’s an example for a videographer:
- Shoots 15 minutes of 4K footage per week.
- Files average 375 MB per minute.
- Keeps files for 1 year.
- Single backup copy.
Running the numbers:
- 15 minutes x 375 MB per minute = 5,625 MB per week.
- 5,625 MB x 52 weeks = ~292 GB per year.
- 292 GB x 2 copies = ~584 GB for the year.
- Recommended storage: 1 TB hard drive.
So for this type of 4K shooting, a 1 TB drive would work for a year before needing to offload files.
Choosing the Right External Hard Drive
Once you’ve estimated your ideal hard drive size, you can start shopping for an external drive. Here are the most important factors to consider:
- HDD vs SSD: HDDs are more affordable per terabyte, but SSDs are much faster and more reliable.
- RPM speed: 5400 RPM HDDs are slow – aim for 7200 RPM or 10,000 RPM for speed.
- Thunderbolt 3: Provides fastest transfer speeds.
- USB 3.0/3.1: Fast enough for most photographers – just slower than Thunderbolt.
- Drive formatter: Choose drives formatted for Mac vs PC depending on your computer.
- RAID array: Allows combining multiple drives into one large volume.
Key brands popular with photographers include G-Technology, WD MyBook Duo, LaCie, Seagate, and Synology NAS devices.
Do some research to find the right balance of speed, reliability, and affordability for your needs and budget.
Cloud Backup Alternatives
While external hard drives are great for physical backups, also consider backing up your images to the cloud. Cloud storage services like Backblaze, IDrive, CrashPlan, and Amazon S3 can provide an additional layer of protection if your external drives fail or are damaged.
Cloud backups make your files accessible from anywhere and help protect against risks like fire, theft, or natural disaster. Just be aware that storing terabytes of data in the cloud gets expensive. So factor cloud costs if you decide to go that route.
Final Tips
Figuring out the right external hard drive size for your photography needs takes some calculations. But follow these tips for picking the optimal amount of storage:
- Consider your file types, resolution, shooting frequency, and length of storage.
- Use a storage size calculator to add up your total space needed.
- Add extra room for backup copies.
- Choose drives with speedy connectivity like USB 3.0, Thunderbolt 3, or 10GbE.
- Get more capacity than you think you need – storage needs grow quickly.
- Use high quality brands and drives suited for photo/video work.
- Combine external storage with cloud backups for maximum security.
With terabyte-sized drives more affordable than ever, there’s no reason to skimp on photo storage space. Do the math to find the right external hard drive size for your needs. That will ensure you have plenty of room to safely store all your irreplaceable photos and videos for years to come.
