HELP! destroyed memory card with brides images

<p>One of my memory cards was damaged by a guest in my house. It contains the family photos from a wedding that I am in the process of completing. Thank goodness I still have all the getting ready, formals, ceremony and reception shots already uploaded and safe on my computer, however, it sounds like I may not be able to recover these particular files.<br>

What should I consider doing to compensate the bride for the images? I figure I lost between 10-30 images of just group family photos.<br>

Im just devestated right now. It was a family friends child who destroyed the memory card. I am at a total loss of what to do. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>I'm not a techie, but I know for the future, thing one: <strong>download images off of card as soon as you walk through the door!</strong> Then, back them up to <em>another location</em> (dvd/laptop). That way, you have them in two or three places. I do it without exception. <br />I read an article about a photographer who had his memory card in his bag and thought he could back them up "later." His Doberman smelled food from the reception and well, you can guess the rest! Backup: priority number one!!!<br>

I hope someone can help you with the recovery process, though.</p>

<p>How was the card damaged?<br>

This could tell us if you can recover the images or not.</p>

<p>Its covered in (pop?) and crunched. a child from a halloween party I had went into an off limits area of my house and did this. Its actually cracked, and the plug in side is gummed up with some sort of food. It was actually removed from the case it was in. I;ve called two places, will be taking it tommorrow to see what can be done. But I have to prepare myself that it cant be prepared.<br /> I have no idea why a child would do this, and thank god my camera equipment wasnt there at the time. <br /> any ideas on how I can talk to the bride, save face, and how I should handle this with her?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>ok, realistically, its family photos lost, nothing else on that disc. its bad. but I have everything else.<br>

I am thinking of offering her either a print or product credit value (not sure how I would determine that yet)<br>

towards enlargements or a book. any ideas of how to determine that value? determine the cost of each photo?</p>

<p>Memory cards are pretty hardy. The soda pop or food I would not be concerned about. Even a cracked casing might not have any effect. I have heard of memory cards going through the wash and a lot of other circumstances one would normally consider disastrous (even through the dog), and still be readable.</p>

<p>But if it is indeed ruined and you need to deal with the bride, I would lay out a number of compensatory gestures, starting with the least 'out of your hide' and going toward the most. Then, of course, talk to the bride and groom face to face. Be simple and honest, and offer item one from your list. Discuss, and keep going down your list until you find something the couple feels is fair.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that in these situations, some couples will want to take all they can get, so be clear about what you are willling to do. You also have to handle the actual discussion carefully. Listen carefully. Be concerned and serious. Don't get defensive, and keep steering back to what you can actually do and not on what you could have done.</p>

<p>I would first offer a re-shoot, but if that isn't possible due to family members living elsewhere, you can offer a family portrait at their next gathering. Or a partial re-shoot and portrait. Product or credit wouldn't be as satifactory, IMHO, but then again, you never know what people will consider just compensation. I do know that in cases like this that I've seen, people generally just go for money back rather than re-shoots and in this economy, I suspect that will be the case again.</p>

<p>There is no real rationale for determining, in exact figures, how much family photos are worth out of the total package amount. How much are you willing to part with to make your client happy and preserve your reputation? That's where I'd start.</p>

<p>Try getting the files recovered before doing anything. Maybe they can still be taken off the card. Once you know for sure, then you can process the rest of the photos and see how bad it really is. 30 photos missing doesn't sound that bad. Just my opinion....</p>

<p>Good Luck.</p>

<p>Have you tried reading the card?<br>

If not give a try, not much to loose at this point..<br>

I hope it turns out for the good!</p>

<p>I've had trouble with SD cards getting weakened from inserting repeatedly into card readers. Takes too long to just plug the camera in! At any rate, one time the card casing just split apart at the seams. I just managed to hold the plastic together enough to get it into the card reader and unload all the images before it was a total loss. So just try to at least put it in a reader and see what you can get off it.<br>

And it is a ritual for me... walk in the door from a shoot, download the images to external HD and then burn a DVD of unedited images.<br>

Ian</p>

<p>I put a USB thorough the wash, and it worked after.</p>

<p>Konrad...washer and dryer. Still use the card to this day!</p>

The card may well be fine. It's solid state with no moving parts. A cracked case won't hurt it as long as the chip inside

wasn't damaged. Food or liquids on the contacts won't damage it either and can be easily removed with a q tip and some

rubbing alcohol.

 

I'd try cleaning it up carefully and seeing if you can read it. If the case is too damaged to fit a standard reader then take it

to a data specialist who can plug it into an open board.

<p>Like others have stated I would first make sure that you have lost images.. Also, why did you not copy ALL of the images onto your computer instead of leaving just those 30? Anyway, that's water under the bridge..<br>

I would also consider a professional recovery service if you cannot get the images back on your own. The wedding party will probably be more receptive if you can produce a bill stating that the images are not recoverable. Good luck.</p>

 

<p>If it's a cf card - clean up the exterior as much as you can. CF cards are extremely durable and as mentioned contain no moving parts. (I've run a couple through a complete wash / dry cycle with no ill effects.)</p>

<p>The tricky part will be to get the pin connections clean - I may even suggest soaking it in water to get it clean...but with the case cracked.... hmmm tough call.</p>

<p>As for the Bride and Groom - don't tell them anything until you are sure that the images are gone. If you're sure they're gone - then you have to be honest - > tell them what happened and how it happened. Explain that you had the card put as safely away as possible and an accident happened. Determine what and how much you can / will offer then - without knowing your package or pricing tough to say a number... also depends on the number of photos lost...</p>

<p>On a Karma note - maybe the child will pay for this with excessive amounts of cavities and dental work in the future!</p>

<p>Try it! Scan Disc did a test a couple of years ago. Put cards on the street in Times Square, buses, trucks etc ran them over.<br>

Put in and got the data out!<br>

Don't do anything till you know what the issue is. Have a firm limit on what you will offer and stick with it.<br>

Also look at all your images and find images of the people in question so you can assure her that you do have images of them at her wedding. Some brides never pick any family stuff for their album so it may not be as big a crisis to her as it feels to you<br>

Good luck<br>

Brooke</p>

<p>Going forward, the lesson learned from this is <strong>always</strong> be in control of your data. I don't even hand full cards over to my assistant. In keeping with the standard wedding mentality, have backup equipment. For me this is why I use cameras that take two memory cards. I've never had a card go bad but I continue to read where this has happened to people. This reminds me of an event many many years ago when I was an assistant. The photographer was in a car accident on the way to the wedding so for over an hour mine were the only captured images until the photographer arrived. He never forgot that and I sure didn't (contingency plans for everything). Sorry to hear about your problem though - hope it works out for the best.</p>

Someone once told me he put a CF card through the washing machine, he forgot to take the card out.

The card was fine and no problem with the images. It's actually pretty amazing.

<p>If it is a 'Lexar' card they can retrieve the data....and i believe they will replace the card if it was a card failure. They also have a retrieval software you may be able to use.</p>

<p>Dave</p>

<p>I agree with everyone else who believes the card IS recoverable. I had a situation once where I thought I had copied a card to my laptop, took the card out too soon reformatted it shot more photos on top of it and was still able to recover ALL the data from the previous shoot before it was formatted. This actually kind of scares me about CF cards because the data is actually never really gone even after you format it. I can't remember which software i used it was something I downloaded from the web for like $29.00. I have also broken the case on a card before. It was a 4 GB card which was in my wallet in my back pocket when I sat down and cracked it in half. I was able to carefully open a cheap 256M card take out that chip and replace it with the 4GB chip I need to read. Without even closing the case back I plugged the pin bar which is actually not part of the case into a card reader and read the chip with no problems. The problem you discribed is actually much easier to fix than data corruption on the card where even when you read the card it is not recognized or is scambled up garbage.<br>

PS - I am a mad scientist if you absoultely can't find anyone to solve this for you send me an email and I will try what I did for my other card at a small fee of course :-)<br>

In terms of compensating the bride for not having the family pictures. If she is like the brides I have work with, those family pictures will be the most important pictures of the whole wedding and nothing you do short of providing the pictures will make her happy. I sincerely hope you have already been paid :-(</p>

 

<p>Sorry to hear that. Anyway, talk to data recovery companies. I've heard a story (it's an urban legend, but who knows) about an USB flash drive which was bitten by a dog in two halves, and the recovery company was still able to save all the data. This story might not be true, but I've seen some of those guys at work and they are quite wizards.<br>

From the damage you describe, i thing some data could still be copied. If a technician connects a new control board and pins to the data chip, it could still be readable. Those things are really sturdy and usually some data should be accessible even if the chip is partially damaged. It's a flash drive after all - the data remains in the transistors until the transistor itself is destroyed. It's only a question of getting it out. So contact some recovery chaps and don't touch the card until they see it.<br>

It can be very, very expensive though. It might be cheaper to arrange a new ceremony :(</p>

<p>I've had a couple of SD cards go through the wash (they're so blasted small that I miss them when checking my pants pockets), and they've both dried with all images intact. They also still accept data without any problem, although I won't use them for anything of critical importance.</p>

<p>I have retrieved an SD card from the bottom of the Assawoman Bay in Maryland. I dropped it there in January and wasn't able to retrieve it until May. It worked fine. I'll betcha you can clean that card up with alcohol or contact cleaner and it will work for you.</p>

<p>There is a good chance that the content is recoverable. If the place where you take it says it can't fix it, make sure they give you the card back. If the photos you have in it are worth taking a risk for, I'd buy another card and open both up and replace the insides and attempt to read.</p>

<p>Ok, these may still be retrievable if you are somewhat technically inclined. Also how valuable you feel these photos are. I am assuming this is Flash Memeory but other memory would be fine. Yes the memory chips are very hardy. Pick up a very cheap USB memory card reader, many times on sale for around $9.<br>

Even though the plasic may be damaged, the wires are still in tact on these cards, you may need to pull the reader apart and get all the pins into the right holes to make a connection and download these images. Good luck. Worst case your out another $9.</p>

 

<p><em>" It was a family friends child who destroyed the memory card..."</em></p>

<p>I have NO IDEA how a PRO could be any where near this happening. Life can deal tough lessons for the unprepared. Likely nothing you can do except learn from this. The images are gone forever. Otherwise, cost will be 100's dollars to attempt a "fix."</p>