Documenting the renown moments in life is certainly a great way to spend time, but these memories can be difficult to manage. Growing up with just a bit of OCD, I like to think that I generally keep my files in order. Sometimes it can help to have a tool that automatically sorts and archives your files as you create them.
As a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, I have lifetime access to a large amount of storage on Google Photos, my weapon of choice in keeping my photos and videos in order. While I was still using my Google Pixel 3, Google Photos paired well with the device and allowed me to back up and synchronize my photos from multiple devices. Every time I took a photo, it was uploaded to the cloud, ready to view anywhere. After I transitioned to my iPhone 13 Pro, I continue to use Google Photos to keep tabs on all of my media.
Albums and Highlights
Google Photos allows me to create albums that I can share with others by email. I use this feature to collect large sets of media so they can be shared with others. For example, while a few friends were in town for my birthday, I kept all of our photos uploaded to a shared album and sent them edit access to contribute their captures. Now we can fondly look back at the best moments from those few days any time we like.
Google Photos also has a highlights feature that shows you photos from different points in time. One of my favorite stories to browse is the “similar shots” story, which often consists of pictures of my cat, Steve. Google’s AI technology recognizes the subject of the photo and can automatically sort photos by the subject.
The highlights feature also suggests shots from recent years. Recently, I had photos pop up from one, two, and three years ago. Last year I was moving into a new house, the year before that I was in online classes watching the wildlife outside my window, and the year before that my family was keeping a lost neighborhood housecat safe from said wildlife. These stories provide me with a Snapchat-esque recap of memories that I may not have thought about in a while.
Picking The Right Platform
As much as I love Google Photos for its versatility (and the free storage, thanks UNR!), the platform you choose should suit your needs as a content creator. You should consider a few key questions when deciding on a service:
- What kind of media am I storing (photos, videos, documents)?
- How much storage do I need?
- Does this platform keep my content securely backed up?
- Can I easily download all of my data for exporting?
- How will this service connect to my devices (desktop, mobile)?
- Is this service compatible with my devices?
- Can I justify the costs to meet the benefits of the service?
Many iOS users like to use iCloud, and it has many similar features to Google Photos. Another popular alternative is Amazon Photos which provides unlimited full-resolution photo storage and 5GB of video storage for Prime members. Whichever platform you choose, be sure to pick the one that will let you relive those renown moments!
JT Creative 
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