Samsung: Seasons in safe hands
Posted on May 16, 2025 by Admin
The trusty Samsung Portable SSD T9 was perfect for capturing a year at the incredible RHS Garden Wisley
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Every project brings its own technical and creative challenges. But when these stretch across an entire calendar year, with terabytes of precious imagery captured through changing light, weather and seasons, one thing becomes paramount: reliable, high-performance storage.
That’s why photographer and filmmaker Simon Hamer turned to the Samsung Portable SSD T9 for his latest project: a year-long visual exploration of RHS Garden Wisley, recording real members of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) spending time there.
Documenting change through the lens
Located in Surrey, Wisley is a botanical marvel, drawing horticulture enthusiasts, photographers and artists to its ever-evolving landscapes. Hamer’s task was to capture the essence of the gardens through all four seasons, filming and photographing RHS members genuinely engaging with the changing blooms, foliage and evolving atmosphere.
“What I love about Wisley is that it’s a completely different canvas every few weeks,” shares Hamer. “But that also means my workload isn’t just episodic – it’s constant. I’m shooting high-resolution stills, 4K and 6K video, and even time-lapses that run for hours. Storage quickly becomes mission-critical.”
Performance that keeps up with creativity
Enter the Samsung Portable SSD T9. With blazing-fast read and write speeds of up to 2000MB/s via USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, the T9 is built for creators like Hamer who deal with large file sizes on a daily basis. With the TurboWrite buffer size of up to 180GB, maximum performance is ensured for a longer amount of time when transferring large files or encoding video.
“I don’t have time to sit around waiting for footage to be saved or backups to complete,” he explains. “The Samsung Portable SSD T9 slashes that downtime to a minimum. Whether I’m backing up on site or offloading 6K video in the studio, it’s always seamless.”
Although you might think that the time pressure would not be huge when shooting a garden, the reality is that Hamer and his assistant – accompanied by an RHS official – scout the grounds for suitable visitors and approach them to see if they’d like to be involved.
“Most say yes immediately, then we have to sort out release forms and permissions and get the shoot done quickly,” says Hamer. “These aren’t paid models, but real people who can’t be asked to do the same thing over and over again for hours. So we have a limited window to get both the stills and motion footage, and time is tight.”
The portable drive is up to the job, its speed coming courtesy of Samsung’s cutting-edge NAND technology and its advanced TurboWrite algorithm. These ensure sustained high performance, even when having to transfer massive batches of footage.
Despite its robust performance, it’s compact and travel-ready, ideal for being carted around a large site with lots of other kit. Roughly the size of a credit card and weighing just 122g, it fits comfortably into a gear bag or jacket pocket. Its sleek rubberised body provides both a professional aesthetic and practical shock resistance, as well as resistance against the weather.
“I’m often out in the gardens early, when the ground is dewy and equipment can take a knock,” says Hamer. “I’ve dropped it more than once and it’s never skipped a beat. The rubber casing gives me peace of mind that my data is safe.”
Samsung designed the portable drive to meet the demands of modern location work, with resistance to shocks and drops of up to three metres. It also maintains performance even when operating under challenging temperatures, ranging from freezing to 60°C.
Spanning the seasons with greater confidence
For a year-long project like Hamer’s, file management is as much about longevity as speed. The Samsung Portable SSD T9 is available in capacities of 1TB, 2TB and 4TB, ideal for storing months of Raw photography, colour-graded video and project backups without compromise.
Hamer opted for multiple 4TB models, each labelled by season. “It’s a system that works incredibly well,” he explains. “Spring, summer, autumn, winter – I can separate and back up each season individually. And thanks to its speed, I can do incremental backups in seconds.”
The Samsung Portable SSD T9 works with MacOS, Windows, Android and even USB-compatible video recorders and external monitors, making it a very flexible choice for hybrid creatives. With support for USB-C and USB-A through the included cables, it’s ready to plug and play with whatever kit you’re using.
“Sometimes I’m tethered to a laptop on location or offloading from a mirrorless or cinema camera,” Hamer says. “The portable drive handles all of that with zero friction.”
Samsung’s software suite further enhances usability with firmware updates, performance diagnostics and password protection tools all included in the Samsung Magician software.
Storage isn’t just about speed – it’s about reliability. The Samsung Portable SSD T9 comes with a five-year limited warranty and offers up to 600TBW (terabytes written), depending on the model, meaning it’s built to endure the heavy workloads of professionals and really goes the distance.
That kind of assurance is what has allowed Hamer to focus on the story, rather than the gear supporting him. “Over the course of the year, you can’t afford a single failure. You don’t get a second chance at that sunrise bloom or snowy pathway. The Samsung Portable SSD T9 has been solid throughout.
“Honestly, I can’t imagine working without it now. Whether I’m editing in the field, archiving for safety or transferring files to clients, it does everything I need – and does it fast.”
Store more on the go
Whether shooting 4K video or capturing thousands of high-res photos, the 1TB Samsung PRO Plus microSD gives you the space and speed to do it all. With fast read and write speeds of up to 180MB/s and 130MB/s respectively, this tiny powerhouse handles high-performance tasks effortlessly. It’s ideal for use in drones, action cameras, smartphones, tablets and portable gaming consoles.
According to Samsung, the 1TB PRO Plus has capacity for over 437,000 4K photos, 654,000 FHD photos and 47 hours of 4K video. And Samsung’s trusted protection – covering water, temperature, X-ray, magnet, drop and wear – means your data stays safe.
The Samsung PRO Plus microSD 1TB is built to keep pace with you – delivering reliability, performance and peace of mind in a tiny card.
Discover more at samsung.com/uk/memory-storage/all-memory-storage
This article appears in the May/June 2025 issue of Definition
