Storage Question

[Naharabe]

Hello guys,
As most people, i come here seeking for some help. I tried to google my answers but as i lack in knowledge to understand the technical differences between the things i will ask, i decided to ask you guys for guidance.
My old macbook is now too old to deal with all the work i have... so i decided to buy a new macbook pro. Already ordered it.
The internal storage of my macbook will be reduced as flash memory costs a lot and i can't afford to upgrade it to its max. I work a lot with photography and at the moment i have several hundred GB of photos on my mac and external hard drives. As i will have limited storage now, i wanted to find a good option to keep most of my photos in an external storage... The problem is that i am always having the necessity to access them in a regular basis...
So i thought about getting an Apple Time Capsule, not to use the Time Capsule app but to use it to store my photos and have access to them wirelessly.
However, i have no idea if this is a good option... I have several doubts... Is the access to the photos fast like this? I mean, i know it is much slower than having them on the internal storage... but is it fast and will i be able to access them and work with them with a good work flow?
One of the main questions i have is: will i be able to access them over the internet? I mean, if i am on another place, can i have access to some of the photos?
The final questions are about the price of the Time Capsule... It is a little expensive for me now... i spent almost all my money on the new mac. However if it is the best option to do what i need... oh well... i will have to find a way. But is there any other option that may have the same or better quality and is cheaper?

I am sorry to bother you guys with all this. To sum it all up: How does the Time Capsule work? Can i use it to store my photos (organized in iphoto but preferably in lightroom) Is it fast enough to have a good workflow? Can i access my photos from another place? PLEASE, is there an identical or better option that is cheaper?

THANK you guys for the time and specially the patience to read this (i know that i can be annoying with all my doubts).
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Hope to have some enlightening answers =)
Hugs

 

[Naharabe]

Any help please? =(

 

[RCAFBrat]

My suggestion would be to get two USB 3.0 hard drives: one 1TB - 2TB portable HDD like My Passport or My Passport Ultra for all of your photos & other files like documents and one 3TB or 4TB My Book Essential for Time Machine backup of your internal SSD and portable HDD.

Note that I am suggesting Western Digital drives here since they are a reliable brand and widely available (check at www.wdc.com). There are lots of other options available in terms of brands, size, speed, durability (water & shock proof), etc but I think the easiest solution for you is to take your drive with you and make sure you have a decent backup at home.

Do not order a Mac specific drive unless you get a price that is same as for an equivalent Windows drive (usually Mac specific drives are more expensive but they are the same on the inside).

Do reformat both drives to Mac format before using them with Disk Utility and recommended settings.

Cheers

 

[Naharabe]

Thank you very much, RCAFBrat...
That was a great answer =)
I already thought about that... it is in fact the simplest solution =)
I was wondering if there would be a way that i could have an external disk always connected via wireless (and able to connect via internet) to the computer so that i would always have the photos there when i am at home on the sofa or bed working as if it was a 2nd disk... but i guess that this isn't possible yet, right? It would be amazing though =P
I tried to see some online storage option but none seemed to be a good option.
Thanks for the answer =)

 

[phoenixsan]

For budget considerations.....

based in your posts, I will go the USB 3.0 route. Affordable one and you can get good storage. About brands: WD, Toshiba, Seagate and even La Cie if you get a deal on one....

Fastest would be Thunderbolt, but to a cost......

 

[Naharabe]

Thank you =)

 

[RCAFBrat]

I just read a review of the WD My Cloud on another thread (see Mac Peripherals forum):

http://www.cnet.com/network-storage/wd-my-cloud-3/4505-3382_7-35828119.html

It might just be the main storage solution you are looking for (wireless solution for home and accessible from outside your home through an Internet connection and a free WDMyCloud.com account). If you go this way, you will still need a second HDD for backups!

It looks like it will not be as fast as a connected USB 3.0 drive but it will surely be more convenient.

Cheers