I used Claude to solve a problem that data centers helped cause for my photography business. It's saved me thousands.
After spending $20,000 on drives in 2025, photographer Allen Cooley used Claude to organize old storage and avoid buying more.
Photographer Allen Cooley, founder of Allen Cooley Photography in Atlanta, Georgia, spent over $20,000 on hard drives in 2025 due to a sharp increase in storage costs. To cope with the rising expenses, Cooley employed AI-powered tool Claude to catalog and manage his existing hard drives. By using Claude, Cooley was able to identify files he could safely delete, freeing up valuable space and saving thousands in new drive costs.
However, he acknowledges that video work may eventually require additional storage, prompting him to potentially invest in more drives. Cooley's business has seen a 30% decline in revenue since its 2023 peak, and he attributes part of this decline to personal choices, such as spending less time on work and dedicating more time to his young daughters.
Despite the industry's rising costs and reduced demand, Cooley remains resourceful, leveraging his stockpile of old hard drives and exploring potential alternatives in the future.
Written by urgent.news from Business Insider's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
