u/Hannahmc777

Hi guys, I’m a full time professional wedding photographer looking for advice on moving from external hard drives to a NAS system.

For the longest time, I’ve been archiving my photos on WD 16 TB external drives. I currently have three of them, with roughly 38 TB of photo archives spread across those drives. With hard-drive prices rising, I’m considering moving to a NAS for better organization and easier long-term growth.

My situation is a little different because I live in Maine for six months of the year and Miami for the other six months. The NAS would stay at my home in Maine, which has fiber internet and approximately 400 Mbps upload/download. I would like to securely access it remotely from Miami so I no longer have to travel back and forth with archive drives.

I would not be editing directly from the NAS. My plan would be to download an active project or older RAW files to a local SSD in Miami, edit locally, and then upload final files/backups back to the NAS when needed. I may also use it to pull older weddings if a client wants revisions or I want to re-edit past work.

I’m currently looking at an 8-bay NAS, but I’m lost on the drive configuration:

• What 8-bay NAS would you recommend for this use case?
• How many drives should I start with?
• What drive capacities make sense—16 TB, 18 TB, 20 TB, etc.?
• Which brands/models should I consider for NAS drives?
• Would you use SHR-2/RAID 6 for two-drive redundancy, or something else?
• How much usable capacity should I aim for if I currently have about 38 TB of data but need room to grow?
• What is the best way to handle a true backup in addition to RAID/NAS redundancy?
• Is there a remote-access method you would recommend for secure access from Miami? Tailscale, VPN, Synology QuickConnect, etc.?

I want a setup that is reliable and reasonably future-proof, but I also do not want to overspend on capacity I will not need for years. I’d appreciate any recommendations from photographers or anyone managing a large RAW photo archive remotely.

A few notes:

• Highline Trail is my #1 priority hike.
• We love hiking and don't mind long days.
• We're staying on the west side first, then moving to the east side.
• We already have lodging booked in East Glacier from Aug 7–11.
• We'll have a rental car and are planning around the new Logan Pass shuttle system.

Current itinerary:

Aug 2

• Arrive in Montana at night
• Stay in Whitefish

Aug 3

• Highline Trail + Grinnell Glacier Overlook

Aug 4

• Full rest day

Aug 5

• Siyeh Pass

Aug 6

• Paddleboard on Lake McDonald
• Hidden Lake Overlook at sunset

Aug 7

• Transfer to East Glacier
• Relax, scenic stops, no major hike

Aug 8

• Iceberg Lake

Aug 9

• Grinnell Glacier

Aug 10

• Ptarmigan Tunnel

Aug 11

• Fly home

Questions:

1. Is Whitefish a reasonable base for the west-side portion, or would you stay closer to the park?
2. If you had to remove one hike, which would it be?
3. Are there any must-see viewpoints, short hikes, or food stops we're missing?
4. For those who have done both, would you choose Grinnell Glacier or Ptarmigan Tunnel if weather forced you to pick one?

Thank you in advance!! Trying to build the best possible Glacier itinerary while still leaving some room to enjoy the trip and not just hike ourselves into the ground. 😊

Hi there. I am looking for Sydney Noelle Presets. I am only looking to trade and not to buy. Here are a couple of options I have to trade -

1. Goodlight pack 4
2. Beba pack 2, 3 & 4
3. Summer Grace
4. Ashlynn Stott Pack 1 & 2
5. The complete pack - Mark Deleon
6. Peyton Byford - Tuscany Collection

Hi there. I am looking for Beba Vowels pack 4. I am only looking to trade and not to buy. Here are a couple of options I have to trade -

1. Goodlight pack 4
2. Beba pack 3
3. Summer Grace
4. Ashlynn Stott Pack 1 & 2
5. The complete pack - Mark Deleon
6. Peyton Byford - Tuscany Collection