Camera to Amazon Photos as you shoot: two honest routes

Why photographers want Amazon Photos

Amazon says Prime members get unlimited photo storage plus 5 GB for video in Amazon Photos, which makes it an attractive extra copy of everything you shoot. It isn't a client-delivery or proofing tool, so the usual job is backup: every frame safely off the camera and into a second cloud, without a laptop. CloudTether's destinations don't include Amazon Photos, so the routes below hand the photos to Amazon's own apps.

Route 1: phone library + Auto-Save (JPEG)

CloudTether can save every tethered shot into the phone's photo library — choose “This phone only” when the camera connects, or add Photos under Deliver › Copies on this phone alongside your other destinations. Each shot lands in an album (iPhone) or folder (Android) named after the shoot. The Amazon Photos app's Auto-Save then uploads new photos from the library. Amazon's help notes that Auto-Save works over Wi-Fi by default, with a separate switch to use mobile data, and that the Amazon Photos app needs to be opened for photos to be saved — so open it during a break if you want the day's shots up before you get home.

This route is for JPEG, HEIF and PNG: RAW files aren't saved to the phone's photo library. Shoot RAW+JPEG and the JPEGs reach Amazon Photos; the RAW files stay on the card, or go to a cloud destination of their own. On Android, check that Amazon Photos backs up the folder CloudTether saves into.

Route 2: synced folder + desktop backup (RAW too)

Send the shoot to Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive. Every file — RAW included — uploads once from your phone and lands in the shoot's folder, which the provider's desktop app syncs to your computer. In the Amazon Photos desktop app's backup settings, add that folder, and new files in it are uploaded as they arrive. It's an extra hop, but you end up with three copies: the card, your main cloud and Amazon Photos.

Pick a fixed folder for this rather than a new one per shoot, so the backup only has to be set up once. A 2023 PetaPixel report noted that Amazon Photos didn't keep folder structure on backup; if that matters, rely on your main cloud for the organised copy and treat Amazon Photos as the safety net.

Which route to choose

Personal, travel and family shooting: Route 1 — nothing to set up on a computer, and it works offline until you're back on Wi-Fi. Paid work where the RAW files matter: Route 2, or simply deliver RAW to Dropbox or Drive and treat Amazon Photos as an occasional extra. Either way, keep the card as your first copy until everything has synced.

How to back up camera photos to Amazon Photos as you shoot

1. 1

   Connect the camera to your phone

   Open CloudTether and tap “Connect a camera”. Plug in a USB-C cable (Sony: USB mode PC Remote; Fujifilm: USB tether shooting) or choose Wi-Fi for guided wireless set-up. Take a test shot and wait for “Test shot delivered”.

2. 2

   Save shots to the phone's library

   Choose “This phone only” when the camera connects, or add Photos under Deliver › Copies on this phone. Allow CloudTether to add to your photo library.

3. 3

   Turn on Auto-Save in Amazon Photos

   In the Amazon Photos app's upload settings, switch on Auto-Save for photos, and the mobile-data option if you want uploads away from Wi-Fi.

4. 4

   Open Amazon Photos to upload

   Open the Amazon Photos app during a break or after the shoot so Auto-Save uploads the new photos. For RAW, use a synced Dropbox, Drive or OneDrive folder backed up by Amazon's desktop app instead.