What TO Do:
- If all possible, use a dual card slot camera while on a photo shoot; especially when you are covering something that cannot be recreated, like weddings. Having redundant backup is a lifesaver (the very reason that my recent card failure was not a big deal).
- If your card is malfunctioning – get a new one. It’s not worth the risk if the card fails.
- Figure out if it’s the card or the system you used for downloading that caused the breakdown. For example, a card I used recently had two images that showed up with pink lines. Those particular files got corrupted during the back-up process. Sometimes this can happen, so if it is fine in your camera, then it might have something to do with the way you download.
- As a general rule for all photographers – back up your images in multiple locations. External drives, cloud system, RAID, you name it. Make sure you have several backups of important files.
- If you have only a single memory card slot, use smaller sized memory cards so your images are not contained in one card in case of corruption. If you have dual card slots, this is not as important.
Now that you know my favorite tips on avoiding a corrupt memory card, I suggest to put them into action. And lastly, always be sure to use quality memory cards and card readers.
By: Glenn Wesley Dulay / www.glenndulay.com