09/06/2026
Ever wonder what happens to your wedding photos after I pack up my cameras and head home? 📸💍
The work definitely doesn’t stop when the wedding ends and before I even think about editing, my first priority is making sure your images are SAFE.
I take backing up wedding galleries very seriously because these aren’t images we can simply recreate if something happens.
During every wedding, I shoot with dual SD cards in both of my camera bodies. That means every single photo I take is being written to TWO cards at the same time. Depending on the length of the wedding and how much I photograph, I’ll usually come home with anywhere from 4–6 SD cards from one wedding.
Then the backup process begins. 👏🏻
Your wedding images are copied onto multiple external hard drives. I currently use four separate external drives three stay with me at home, while another is kept at my photography studio in a completely separate location.
On top of that, your images are also backed up to an online cloud source. ☁️
And those SD cards? They don’t immediately get wiped and thrown back into my camera for another session.
I do NOT format the original SD cards until your wedding gallery has been delivered and the required amount of time outlined in my contract has passed. Until then, those cards are another physical copy of your images.
Even after your gallery has been delivered, I typically keep the RAW files backed up on my external drives and cloud storage for around a year.
Is it a little excessive? Maybe. 😂
But weddings are one of those things you simply cannot redo.
The first look. Dad seeing his daughter in her dress. Grandma dancing at the reception. The vows. The hugs. The tears. The people who may not always be here.
Those files are more than just pictures to me. They’re someone’s memories, and protecting them is one of the biggest responsibilities I have as your photographer.
So while you’re waking up the morning after your wedding soaking in the fact that YOU’RE MARRIED… there’s a pretty good chance I’m surrounded by SD cards and hard drives making sure your memories are safe. 😂📸
Just a little behind-the-scenes look at what happens after your wedding day at Capture Life Photography.