I have so many friends and clients who are thrilled to have the latest and greatest digital cameras! While I can teach you to use your settings to improve your pictures, there are a few things you should know when you have invested in a camera. It's wonderful to have digital images....we can save as many moments as we have space for! But this comes with a cost....it's very easy to lose those happy memories.
I lost years of family pictures in a fatal hard drive crash and I would hate to see anyone lose theirs!
My biggest advice would be to buy camera cards from a reputable dealer and avoid cheap knockoff from China. If you get a deal that is "too good to be true", then it probably is! Brand name cards are much more reliable and when my memories are on the line, it's worth it to save myself the nightmare of losing a once in a lifetime shot!
I am reposting a few tips from Chris Bross, Data Recovery Engineer for DriveSavers. After all, who better to give us advice on saving our pictures than someone who recovers them for a living?
The following list of tips is how to handle flash memory cards properly and help prevent potential loss of precious photographs.
BACK UP YOUR IMAGES! Protect yourself and your irreplaceable images by backing up onto CD/DVDs, tapes, online storage or an external hard drive. This will help guard against data loss when (not if) your hard drive crashes unexpectedly.
TRANSFER YOUR PHOTOS. Copy the image files from the camera’s flash memory to a computer’s hard drive a soon as you can. We recommend not deleting images or reformatting the memory card while it is still in the camera. Wait until all photos are transferred and verified.
FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS. Take care when removing flash memory from the camera or card reader. Avoid deleting or corrupting images by using the eject command on the computer or moving the card icon from the desktop to the trash/recycle bin before physically removing the card.
VERIFY THE TRANSFER. Open the images on the hard drive before reformatting the card.
MAKE MORE THAN ONE COPY. Back up your backup media and keep a duplicate offsite in a secure location. (*My advice is to use an external hard drive AND a site like Mozy or Backblaze*Dana)
PROTECT YOUR FLASH MEMORY CARDS. Use the plastic holder when carrying them around. Simple static buildup can zap the card and make it unreadable. There are other dangers as well, such as breaking a card in our pocket or putting the card, along with your clothing, in the wash.
REPLACE YOUR FLASH MEMORY CARDS. Typically, flash memory cards can be used about 1,000 times before they start to wear out. (*When properly handled and stored! Extremes can shorten the life to just a hundred uses!*)
AVOID EXTREME TEMPERATURES. Heat, cold and humidity can wreak havoc with digital equipment, especially flash memory.
