Professional photographers have known for some time that the longevity of DVD's and CD's are suspect. I can remember in the early 90's manufacturers were touting the 100-year life span of CD's. Keeping a close ear to the industry has helped professionals steer clear of those claims and find real safe guards and solutions for keeping their digital media safe.

First you should know that not all CD's are created equal and it would serve you well to do a little research as to the most reliable. The same holds true for the DVD format but currently seems to be less volatile. Volatile is not an extreme word to use in describing the longevity of these products. It's been the experience of some that CD's have deteriorated to an unreadable condition in months.

For those of you who remember vinyl records it is easy for you to envision the scratches and marks on those LP's making them unplayable. Well the same happens to CD's and DVD's.

So what's a person to do? This is what I suggest.
1. Only use the highest quality CD's and DVD's you can find. It's worth the research.
2. Store them in a cool, dry environment.
3. Back up everything twice and store them in separate locations. By that I mean different properties if possible.
4. Don't leave important stuff on your computers hard drive. Back it up to an external hard drive.
5. Never leave your external hard drive always on or always connected to your computer. If your computer gets a lightning hit so will the hard drive.

If you've hired a professional photographer make sure you understand their backup procedure. Ask if they continue to keep a copy of your images. Most do. Remember hiring a professional not only helps to guarantee the successful capture of your precious wedding day imagery it also will help insure that those memories will last forever.

If you've gone to “Uncle Bob” for your wedding images you can't expect him to keep a permanent record. After all it's not his business.

Bob Hennessy
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