365 day 59 reporting disaster | Calgary event photographer

Here is my best advice to all of you for the new year.

BACK UP YOUR PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me just tell you how a random string of quickly moving events has brought me to more than a few tears.

When I take pics (family) I put them on my computer.I leave them there until I do a following session. When that session takes place I upload it to my computer. I immediately then back up the session/s and any other family photos to my external hard drive. I then burn sessions to cd's. Then delete my computer and move on!!! I should have been backing up my family photos - but anyone who knows me knows I have been incredibly busy and stressed and am dealing with two kids who are not sleeping well through the night and getting up extremely early. So yes - I have not backed up my family pics recently.

I thought this was a pretty slick system - seemed to be working, everything was GREAT. My external harddrive was 1TB - so it holds a TON of photos. My RAW files from my camera a GINORMOUS - and take up a ton of room - but there was tons of pics on there!

Until.........that fateful day..................
my external hard is a LaCie. The cord on it is incredibly short. I learned quickly not to have it plugged in when the kids are around - it's like it has a sign on it saying 'trip over me please... you'll like it!'. However... this one morning I was ecstatic because I had both my back to back maternity sessions done, it was 2 days after Christmas and needed room on the computer to upload pics! So.... Kade had woken up extremely early and was laying beside me on the couch watching a movie. I figured I would get to it. Pulled out the external and hooked it up. Copied  all my pictures (except one session I hadn't finished) and dropped them to the external drive. Then it happened.

I heard the door knob turn upstairs. I quickly hit safely removed on my computer and shut the hard drive off. I then hit delete on the computer. Why? I don't know - as I said I am not getting much sleep and was panicking over Ro coming down and tripping over the cord. So I hit delete, then turned the hard drive off.
At that precise moment Kade sat up and heard Ro start down the stairs. She jumped off the couch and as I went to reach for the hard drive unplugging it from the computer.... she tripped over the cord running to say good morning to Ro.

Which resulted in the hard drive crashing to the floor. And I had a heart attack.
It is broken..... very very broken. It only fell from the coffee table to the floor - and it is RUINED. You should have heard the noise it made...... SHEESH!
I had to call two clients (who happen to be the COOLEST people in town and were very forgiving) and tell them all I had left were their internet sized pictures up on my proofing site. It was completely heartbreaking for me. I was and am completely mortified.

And every day I remember more and more pics of my kids that I may or may not get back. all our summer pics, my coke bottle shots of Ro, his first day of preschool, school concert.... I am totally heartbroken.
I take enough pics (lol) that in 5 years this may not bother me...... but as of right now well I still am teary eyed and completely frustrated with myself.

SO.................. pictures are never safe. Back up. and do it often.
I am also getting some online storage to cover my bases. LaCie offers some when you buy harddrives, and I am looking at Backblaze.
Dion also bought me some cordless small hard drives. So I won't have SO much on the hard drives.... and there will be no tripping over cords. And yes - he saw this coming lol.

I have learned a lesson I don't want anyone else to have to. Take it from me - I haven't developed photos in awhile - and now they may just be GONE.................

BACK UP PEOPLE BACK UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to all my friends who are helping me try to get some data back and supporting me - and to some really cool clients. I am so very sorry.

THE CULPRIT

Seriously.... whose hard drive happens to crash to the ground as you are backing it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!