Ask ten photographers how much cloud storage they need and you’ll get ten different answers — because it depends on file sizes, not photo counts. Here’s a simple way to work out your number, plus what it realistically costs.
Start with file size, not photo count
The single biggest variable is whether you shoot JPEG or RAW, and at what resolution. Here’s what the numbers usually look like:
| File type | Typical size | Photos per 100GB |
|---|---|---|
| Phone JPEG | ~3–5MB | ~20,000–30,000 |
| Full-frame JPEG | ~8–15MB | ~7,000–12,000 |
| RAW (14-bit) | ~25–50MB | ~2,000–4,000 |
Do the math for your season
1. Estimate your output. How many images do you actually deliver per shoot? (A wedding might be 800–1,500; a portrait session 100–300.)
2. Multiply by average file size. If you shoot RAW at ~30MB and do 1,000 images per event — that’s ~30GB per event.
3. Multiply by shoots per year, add a safety margin. Then round up to the nearest sensible plan.
The practical answer
- Hobbyist / casual — 100GB is plenty.
- Part-time / portrait — 500GB fits a year comfortably.
- Full-time / wedding — plan for 1TB or more, plus archive.
What your options cost
| Storage size | Snaptide (approx) | Typical cloud price |
|---|---|---|
| 100GB | ~$10/mo | ~$2–10/mo |
| 500GB | ~$14/mo | ~$3–12/mo |
| 1TB | ~$20/mo | ~$10–20/mo |
The honest take: the cheapest plan is rarely the best fit. A little room to grow beats migrating a big library later. Snaptide lets you scale up smoothly and, unlike a plain folder, its storage also delivers photos to clients and guests.
Frequently asked questions
Is 100GB enough for a photographer?
For a casual shooter, yes. For anyone delivering RAW files from a few events a year, you’ll want 500GB–1TB.
How much storage is 1,000 RAW photos?
At ~30MB each, roughly 30GB. So 1,000 RAW files is about 30GB of storage.
Should I buy more storage than I need?
Ideally yes — a little headroom saves you from migrating a growing library later.
Does Snaptide scale with my needs?
Yes — you can move from 100GB up to 1TB and beyond as your library grows, without re-uploading.