USB flash drive and Modeling photo shoot files

Today I had trouble burning a CD, so I thought, " how the heck am I going to get these photos to the person I wanted to send them too?" And then I thought of technology advances. The USB Flash storage device. It's a little shorter than my forefinger but it can hold a lot of images and files on it, and it is small and compact and easy to carry, you could put it on your keychain, and doesn't cost much to mail.

It made me think of another scenario, what if a model was at a modeling job or test shoot and asked, "can you just put the photos on the USB," instead of asking for a CD, would this be a good idea?

Well I have a couple thoughts on the good and bad of it:

1. The good. You can hold sometimes more images than a CD could hold on a USB, this means you can get all you need right there hopefully the day of your shoot. And a USB is a very quick transfer; you can transfer jpegs to it quicker than a CD can capture them.

2. The Bad. When you do get to a computer you can upload them, but then what if your computer crashes and you lose the images? Then the pain in the ass of having to plan a time to meet the photographer to have the photos scanned again on your USB, is only the small issue, the big issue is, "we are relying too much on technology."

Yes I see the USB as a nice tool.

But not the end all. I do not think it replaces having a portfolio and an aspiring model should have one. Just the other day I had to mail my portfolio to a showroom to get a modeling job booked, the art director wanted to see how I looked in print, not just a jpeg.

I think a even with a USB you will need to go back to the CD one day, and it is smart if you do. Having a catalog of your work should not be ONLY kept on your computer files; you should burn your images on a CD. Yes CD's can wear and tear over the years, but relying on your hard drive can be a risk you might not want to take casually. Also what if you lose the files on it and you did not have a back up. Too bad for you!