7 Critical Steps For Good Photography, Check Your Memory Card

I would like to highlight just one of the things I have mentioned in previous articles, and that is the Camera memory Card that you use to capture your images.

Back in the good old days, when it came to taking photos of family and friends, special events or creative photos, such as landscapes etc., there really was not much to be concerned about. You went to the local store and bought a roll or two of film, either 12, 24 or 36 exposures, popped it in the camera, and started firing away. When you were finished the roll, you took the film out and returned it to the drug store to be processed. In a couple of days, or in more recent times, one hour or two, you came back and picked up all your beautiful prints. They were ready to show everyone who would look at you beautiful new photos. There was not much guess work or thought needed to take photos back then, you just made a choice on the number of photos you wanted to take, and the speed of the film (ASA), whether you were taking pictures outside in bright light (100 ASA), or inside (400 ASA) say, at a reception.

If you lost a roll of film, either because you misplaced it, or the drug store screwed up on the processing, it was not always too big of a deal, as you usually had several more rolls of film with other photos to choose from, or you had only taken a few photos anyway, as the rolls only allowed you to take upto 36 shots. But in this digital age, just one memory card, especially the new high capacity cards, can store hundreds of photos, even thousands if you shoot in low resolution JPEG mode. So, if you lose a memory card, it can be a really, really big deal. That’s why it is important with digital, to have a special case to store your memory cards, to help avoid losing or accidently damaging one.

One of the biggest problems though, is, unlike film, memory cards can be very sensitive to the way they are treated, and hence it is very easy to accidentally lose a lot of photos. In this article I will try to spell out some of the precautions you need to take to avoid problems.

Step 1. Always try to purchase good quality cards, from your local camera store if possible. Get to know the staff at the camera store, who will usually always be able to offer good advice and recommend a quality card for your camera. A good quality card can sometimes cost a little more, and I am talking about just a few dollars more, than a cheap budget card from the local supermarket. Sometimes, the supermarket store card may be ok, but I think it is always prudent to make sure you have a quality product, one that you can get advice about from an expert, and where you will not have any problems returning the card if you have to for any reason.

Step 2. The first thing, and this is one of the most critical steps, you need to do when you purchase a new memory card, is to format the card in your camera. This step is crucial. Digital cameras are not all the same, and the card can cause problems, even if you format the card on your computer, instead of the camera. If the card does not format, or you get errors when the camera tries to format the card, then you need to return it immediately to the store for a replacement. If necessary, the staff may look at your system and make sure everything is working ok. Kind of like a free tune up. Note that not all cards are compatible with all digital cameras. Most of the low end and even some high end compacts, have an upper limit as to the memory size of the card that can be used.

Step 3. Never ever take the card out of the camera while the camera is still writing the file to the memory card. Often, people will take a photo and then almost immediately take the card out of the camera to replace it with a fresh new card. This can easily corrupt the card and make it impossible to get the images off the card into the computer. If you need to take the card out after taking a shot, just wait for several seconds to make sure the file has been written completely to the card. I usually suggest about 20-30 seconds. This should ensure that the file is safe and sound on the card.

Step 4. Do not swap the card around to other cameras of a different make or model. Never take your memory card and put it into another camera without formatting the card on the new camera. This means of course, that you need to back up all the files on the card, then put the card into the other camera and format the card before using. As I mentioned earlier, not all digital cameras are the same, and the way they write the files to the card can be different enough that you will corrupt the card and make it impossible to recover the files you already had on the card.

Step 5. Try to keep the contacts of the memory card protected from the elements and any dirt or grease. This is why there are so many memory card cases on the market. If the contacts become oxidized or too dirty to work effectively, then you will not be able to record the photos you think you are taking. This can be very embarrassing later when everyone wants to see the results. Always keep the card in a case when not in use.

Step 6. Charge before taking photos. Always make sure that the camera batteries are charged enough so that the camera can write the files to the card correctly. If the camera battery dies during the process of writing the file, you will lose the file and possibly all the files on the card at the time of the camera stopped writing the file.

Step 7. As a precaution, you can purchase software specifically designed to recover images from memory cards. This software is quite inexpensive, and may come in very handy if ever needed. Many memory cards now come with recovery software included.

I have used many memory cards, but have yet to have a problem with one (fingers crossed). However, I have met other photographers who have had problems, but those problems fell under one of the steps above. I think the most common problems are due to that photographer not formatting the memory cards before each shoot. Always back up the card before any shoot, then format in the camera. This will usually avoid problems and can allow you to detect a problem before any serious damage is done. It is usually quite uncommon for the card itself to fail. The internals are in fact quite sturdy. So, if you do your part, you should get long service from your memory card.

By: jetjackson

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