Using a NAS for wedding photography is the perfect solution to store your images and share your files with your client.
I understand it’s not the most exciting purchase, but it will make you look more professional and can give you the peace of mind that your files are safe.
In this article, I’ll explain how I use my NAS for wedding photography, ways to add it to your wedding package, and why I think it’s worth it.
Backing up photos
For backups I use the Synology 720+ NAS and SanDisk extreme pro External SSD, but I currently recommend this one here.
Immediately after a shoot, I always back up my files to my M1 MacBook Air, external drive, and the NAS.
- First, I copy the files directly from the camera to the computer via a usb-c cable to avoid corrupting the SD card. If you have dual card slots, you don’t have to worry about this as much.
- Second, I copy the images on my laptop to my external drive.
- Third, I copy the same folder to my Synology NAS by dragging and dropping to the quick connect feature.
I probably don’t need this many backups, but it’s mostly for peace of mind.
When I copy the files to my NAS I can be anywhere. I can even use my phone as a hotspot and connect my files to my Synology over wifi.
If you back up all your images at home, you can use cloud storage, so you have an offsite backup, but you can also sync your NAS to a secondary NAS for an offsite mirrored backup.
This method is known as hyper backup.
I’ve known some people who keep a second NAS at a friend’s house or office location. If you’re on a budget you can keep an external harddrive at a separate location and do quarterly backups.
Using a NAS to deliver images to the client
After I make backups of all images, I begin importing the files to Lightroom. You can read my other article for the best NAS for lightroom here.
Next, I’ll edit the photos and export the files from lightroom as Jpegs to a file on my Synology NAS with a folder for the client. I’ll share the folder from my NAS with a password, so the client can instantly download the files from anywhere.
Recently, I edited all the photos in Lightroom on my flight home. When I arrived at the airport, I was able to create a shared folder on my NAS and upload the Jpegs. Within a minute, I had the files uploaded and was able to send a link to the client to download the photos.
Using this method with a NAS not only makes your job easier, it makes you look more professional.
Sharing images at the reception
Sharing images at the reception can be a way to upsell a package for a client.
If you want to share your photos with your client during the reception, it’s easy with a NAS. After the ceremony, download the images to your computer and drag them to a shared folder for your client.
Your client will immediately be able to access the photos if they decide to use them.
You might ask why your client would want immediate access to your photos. They may want to share these photos at the reception or with friends right away. Having photos to show at the reception is also a good way to showcase your work to other guests.
But how do you edit 1000 plus photos before the reception? The answer is, you don’t. You only share 15-30 of your best images, and you hire an editor or an assistant to do it for you.
If the client isn’t willing to pay for an editor, you can try to quickly edit 5-10 images instead.
Use a NAS to have guests collect and share images
Another way to upsell your wedding package is by having wedding guests share images. Today, everyone’s a photographer, and one way to embrace that is by have wedding guests share the images they captured.
You can do this with weduploader, or by using a NAS.
If you do it yourself you can sell it as a service or offer it as one of your wedding packages.
To do this, create a shared folder on your NAS and allow users to have write privileges.
Next, provide the URL for guests to upload their photos at the reception. You can share the URL with your client to add to the program. You can also provide a sharable link at each guest table.
You can then give your client read and write privileges and let them download the photos at their convenience.
It’s that simple.
The best NAS for wedding photography
Starting out, I recommend the Synology DS 720+ or 920+ for wedding photography.
The Synology 720+ is the NAS I use. It’s a great starter NAS with the ability to add expansion drives later.
If you’re doing videography, you can use the 720+, but if you have more than one editor, I recommend a NAS with 10gbs.
Read my NAS comparison article here for more info.
