grrrr - lost images

[zemlin]

Not crying - just venting. I'm sure it was just my own error somewhere - but I shot a girl's lacrosse game in the rain a weekend ago. Varsity first, then JV. Several days later I was reviewing the shots on my camera and I had some nice ones. Today I start going through the files on my computer and there are no shots from the varsity game. Data recovery found a ton of files on the card, but not the varsity shots.

My methodology for file transfer and organization is pretty straightforward, but I screwed up somewhere. I have no idea how I could have copied the JV game shots only.

Anyway - they're gone.

[jfklein13]

Wow, sorry about that. What exactly do you mean by data recovery here?

[zemlin]

Originally Posted by jfklein13

Wow, sorry about that. What exactly do you mean by data recovery here?

Searching the CF card for deleted files. There are many programs that will recover images from memory cards, but that will only work if the data area of the card has not been written to since the card was formatted/files deleted. I have several hundred new images on the card since formatting it, so the earlier images from that day are no longer there.

[Jeff D]

You're going to have to start doing 35mm backup shots, Karl. Raw on a roll.

[Mike67]

i have been known to transfer files to the wrong folder. Try searching your hard drive for files modified on that date.

[zemlin]

Originally Posted by Mike67

i have been known to transfer files to the wrong folder. Try searching your hard drive for files modified on that date.

Did that one already - no dice. Thanks for the thought though.

[Benji]

Did both one time. Never again.

Benji

[tomrit]

So easy to do. I have copied the files to the computer, and deleted them from the card, only to find out later that for some reason the drag and drop did not work. Nowadays I copy the files, and verify that they are on the computer, and if for a client, I copy them to a DVD, an only then do I delete them from the card.

But do not bet on film saving you from losing your images, I once had a $5K assignment shot on Kodachrome, sent to the Kodak lab and they all came back neatly cut in the center of the image and mounted with half of two images on each slide. Last time I used Kodachrome; at least with a local lab I can go down and punch the owner in the nose. Nope that does not fix anything, but neither does 10 rolls of unexposed film (or a blank compact flash card).

[jerryph]

I think we've all been there at some point or another, and it is one of those lessons we wish we could have seen with someone else using their camera... lol

One thing that I noted that you said, was that you were looking at the shots on the camera several days later? Were you doing any deleting by chance? I ask because this happened to me... looking through the shots on the camera, deleting a couple here and there.. get home.. massive corruption.

Since that event, I never delete on camera.

Also, you said it was several days between the time you took the shots and transferred them to the computer, that also should be avoided, if at all possible. I know it is not the same thing, but when I get home from an event, even if I am dog tired and it is 4:00am and I have been up 22 hours straight, I copy all cards to a hard drive and then copy that folder to another hard drive... then and only then do I go to bed, but by then, I have 3 copies of all the files, good and bad.

To avoid potential for error, I've made batch files to help me. The files check for the presence of the same folder, create a new one and copy the contents... NOTHING is moved or deleted. The entire process is mechanical, just the one CMD file to double click over and over, once for each card... zero chance of error and that's about the only thing to be doing at 4:00am after a huge event and you're 1/2 asleep and fully brain dead at that moment... lol

BTW, I copy from the card and never delete the CF card, it just gets replaced into the holder. Before the next event as part of my getting ready routine, I delete all the card content by formatting them IN the camera. Never had a problem since... knock wood.

[zemlin]

Originally Posted by jerryph

One thing that I noted that you said, was that you were looking at the shots on the camera several days later? Were you doing any deleting by chance?

Also, you said it was several days between the time you took the shots and transferred them to the computer, that also should be avoided, if at all possible.

I don't cull files on the camera. Too easy to make a mistake. The only time I'll delete one is if I accidentally snap a shot of my crotch or something like that. Then I might delete on camera.

I just ordered two more CF cards. I shoot on a 16Gb card and only have one. I'll put two more into circulation and then I won't need to reformat them as quickly. That will give me a little more buffer to catch future blunders.