Wedding RAW images missing

[rollie_len]

<p>Hi Guys!<br>

I need some advice please... after shooting weddings for nearly 4 years now a terrible fear has come true... part of a wedding's photo's are missing - specifically - the bride and groom's speeches and the groom serenading his bride.<br>

I estimate about 90 or so photo's are missing. I discovered this when getting to the last bit of my editing. (Once backed up, I always scan through the thumbnails on Lightroom to ensure every part of the wedding is there, but I must have seen images of speeches and not realised the bride and groom's speeches were actually missing)<br>

I've checked all my back-up drives but the same RAW images are missing from them - so it was backed up like that. What baffles me is that the pics before the missing ones end with "...9907; 9908; 9909...missing files...0001; 0002; 0003" - could this have something to do with it?<br>

I purchased card recovery software and am nearly done scanning all my cards, but since I've used them for other shoots since, most recoverable files have been overwritten.<br>

So seeing that it seems "all is lost" my main question is: how do I tell the bride a few very important photo's are missing? What can I possibly offer her to try and "make up" for this? I wouldn't even know where to start! I won't get another night's rest until thius has been resolved... :-(</p>

[chris_graamans]

<p>Rollie,<br>

I don't know what camera you shoot with, but on my nikon cameras, files get written to a new folder when the count rolls over past 999. Gave me one hell of a scare once. Playback on camera only shows one folder at a time, and I thought the whole first part of the shoot was lost. In case the same happened to you, go back to the memory cards (assuming they've not been overwritten yet...), set your uploading software to take ALL folders from the cards. Hope you get this taken care of,<br>

Chris</p>

[m_tt_donuts]

<p>Ugg... Lightroom is aware pictures may be in more than 1 folder (especially since some Nikon camera's if you turn them on and hold "?" it will create a new folder and put new pictures into it). Just be sure they're not at the end of the filmstrip. There's just a small chance, and I mean small... that you edited pictures 9910 up in an external application and the picture format of them changed to .TIFF and on save Lightroom is supposed to reimport them and they go at the end of the filmstrip but I've had a few occasions Lightroom simply didn't. The pictures became .TIFF files in the directory Lightroom wasn't aware of and they disappeared. To fix, I had to go into Lightooms import wizard, choose the same folder on my C: drive the pictures I was working on already where, and wallah it shaded out the thousands of images it detected were already imported and showed me my 4 .TIFF files I'd edited in an external app to put on the filmstrip. You may be looking for 9910.NEF or 9910.JPG or 9910.CRW or 9910.CR2 when it's now 9910.TIF or 9910.TIFF or maybe accidentally became 9910 without any extension (which Lightroom will ignore). Not likely, but small :) Check the directory they downloaded into. </p>

<p>I don't think it's as bad as you're likely thinking it is I give only 2-3 images of the toast and they're more for memories no one blows them up. The important ones are the church, kiss, group photo's, and dances which I believe you got. Also most people have an understanding no wedding goes perfect, if the worst thing that went wrong with the wedding was the toast images got corrupt (that's what I'd say) hallelujah! At my wedding, the hairdresser didn't show up for my wife and the AC didn't work in the reception hall it was 110F. Also, guests will have taken pictures of those moments with their phone(s) and such so it's not like they'll have nothing of them. I would show them the pictures you took, follow up with a meeting where you explain something goes wrong at every wedding and that something went wrong with the toast and serenade. Say it's never happened but the pictures were corrupt and you spent a lot of money and so much effort but there was nothing that could be done they weren't recoverable and that you will give them a discount. Mention, I don't like to mention this but others at the wedding will have pictures of the missing moments and is there anything you can do. </p>

<p>I hope you the best and, that the small chance the file(s) are there but as .TIFF's or no extensions. Cheers</p>

 

[rollie_len]

<p>@Chris - I shoot Canon 5D, but I have a sneaking suspicion something like that happened. I am so careful and have a system when I get home and copy my cards over. I keep them in a container and as I finish copying them they go in a drawer - to avoid accidentaly missing a card. After that I make back-up copies to two separate external drives. The folders on my external drives are also missing those images, and that's why I suspect I must have somehow omitted this mysterious extra folder on one of the cards when I first copied the cards. Unfortunately I've shot 2 other weddings since and used the cards for those. I purchased pricy recovering software for the cards, but even though it found some images from ages ago, sadly there were none on there from this wedding. So it's official: they're gone.<br>

@Matt - they may not blow these images up for their house - but they were important moments that I know the couple expects photo's of. I have no idea how the bride will react, but I'm hoping to offer her a decent partial refund and offer to edit photo's of those moments from their guests in my style so it matches the rest of the photo's. I have to call her this morning and I must say - I'm shaking in my pants... they're lovely people but that might change when they get the news! I'm not sure if I should try to downplay it a bit or if I should dramatically apologise endlessly! :-P But I'll try and run a search for those TIFFs you mentioned although I doubts it'll come through...<br>

I am giving them some amazing couple shoot images which I'm very proud of... maybe that will soften the blow...<br>

Thanks so much for both your replies!!!</p>

[William Michael]

<blockquote>

<p><strong>I have to call her this morning</strong> and I must say - I'm shaking in my pants... they're lovely people but that might change when they get the news! <strong>I'm not sure if I should try to downplay it a bit or if I should dramatically apologise endlessly!</strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Neither.</p>

<p>I’ve been in a position where we have made a mistake and I have had to address that error with the Client.</p>

<p>I would neither downplay it, nor dramatize it such that it were the end of the world.</p>

<p>From what I understand there will be an handful of FINISHED PHOTOS (maybe as many as five) that will be missing from the documentation / photojournalism of the full day’s events. None of the missing images, I expect would have been in the set of intimate wedding photos and as already mentioned, unlikely to be one of the main photos that they will hang in their Livingroom or on the Mantle-piece over the Fireplace.</p>

<p>So in a positive, forthright and honest manner I suggest that you simply outline that this small portion of the day’s events is missing; that you have undertaken ever search and recovery mechanism, but to no avail and you have discussed options with other professionals to ensure that you have not overlooked any possibilities and that you have the following solutions to offer – and then offer to edit the guests photos in the same style – (I think that is a good idea).</p>

<p>I not telephone her. I would meet face to face, such that she sees your body language: it occurs to me that you are most sincere and this was an honest, human error.</p>

<p>I think that if we do stuff up, it is important for clients to actually SEE in our eyes, that we are sincerely sorry.</p>

<p>WW</p>

[rollie_len]

<p>Thanks WW. I couldn't get hold of her via the phone so was forced to put this all into an e-mail (I don't want to keep this waiting). I explained what happened, apologised a few times and told her I understand that she will be upset and angry. I also offered compensation options (after I mentioned that I know nothing can bring back the images). I'll be giving her more images than agreed upon as well. That's the best I can do I guess. If I had magic powers I'd bring the images back... but I don't. Sigh.</p>

[William Michael]

<p>It seems to me that you have acted professionally.</p>

<p>WW</p>

 

[rollie_len]

<p>Thanks William. I hope the bride recognizes that I'm doing my best in the situation.</p>