Would you pay $1500 for some photos

HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
edited January 14, 2008 in Wildlife
Hi Y'all,

If you read any of my recent posts you may be aware that my PC went down and its hard drive got fried with around 5 weeks of unbacked up shots. I got a new PC and asked the techs to try to recover the data from the fried HD. After a week they said they would have to send it to the main office because the read and write heads had been wiped out. the heads would have to replaced in a "clean room" and set to match the old heads. Total cost around $1500. :yikes


Initially I told them don't bother because I had just bought the D300, the new PC, and soon my plastic would be charged for my pre-ordered D3. Linda told me that I should tell them to go ahead had have the data recovered. That's what I wanted to hear because I have this weird pathological attachment to my work.

Anyhow the recovery was a complete and expensive success. I ended up with around 188 "keepers" from the recovery. here's a few of them

241533134-XL.jpg

241533151-XL.jpg

241533182-XL.jpg

241533191-XL.jpg

241533254-XL.jpg

241533703-XL.jpg

241533760-XL.jpg

241533912-XL.jpg

241534126-XL.jpg

241534221-XL.jpg
Harry
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
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Comments

  • aktpicsaktpics Registered Users Posts: 106 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Looks to me like money well spent.
    Alex
    aktpics.smugmug.com
  • aj986saj986s Registered Users Posts: 1,100 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    X2. You recoverd some very nice pics.
    Not sure where you are in the income mode with photography, but you may be able to write the expense against income, even over a period of several tax years. A discussion with a tax advisor would be best for details.
    Tony P.
    Canon 50D, 30D and Digital Rebel (plus some old friends - FTB and AE1)
    Long-time amateur.....wishing for more time to play
    Autocross and Track junkie
    tonyp.smugmug.com
  • Ric GrupeRic Grupe Registered Users Posts: 9,522 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Ooooooooh!!!

    241534126-L.jpg

    Only you can say if it was worth it. I get to look at them for free! Thanks, Harry. :D
  • RhuarcRhuarc Registered Users Posts: 1,464 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Glad they were able to recover the stuff for you Harry! Great looking stuff as always! clap.gifclap.gif
    Photos | Blog | Twitter | Gear
  • grimacegrimace Registered Users Posts: 1,537 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    aktpics wrote:
    Looks to me like money well spent.

    I agree!!
    -Adam
    www.adamstravelphotography.com

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  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    aktpics wrote:
    Looks to me like money well spent.

    Thanks Alex
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • VicksterVickster Registered Users Posts: 49 Big grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Wow!
    Brilliant decision! Somethings just can't have a monetary value attached to them. My husband and I own a small business and we lost our hard drive and all our company information. It couldn't be recovered and I had to rebuild our whole bookkeeping system from scratch using old records, YIKES! Anyway, we started backing up online with a company called Iron Mountain. It's not too expensive, couple hundred a year but it does an automatic backup of all our info once a day. Never will we lose everything again. I now want to use the same system for backing up my photos.
    You made a great decision to safe those shots, they are stunning, all of them!
    “Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don't have film.”

    http://bouncinglight.smugmug.com
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    aj986s wrote:
    X2. You recoverd some very nice pics.
    Not sure where you are in the income mode with photography, but you may be able to write the expense against income, even over a period of several tax years. A discussion with a tax advisor would be best for details.

    Unfortunately I'm retired and not a pro. Its hard to write off expnses when you do nothing. :cavig

    I will talk to my accountant and give him a chance to earn his fee.
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • IcebearIcebear Registered Users Posts: 4,015 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Well see, for guys like you who take photos as special as these ALL THE DAMN TIME, you might need to ask whether it was worth the $1500. Me . . . any one of those would be worth that $$$ to me if I'd shot it. Man, they're beautiful, especially the splashy one (#2).bowdown.gif
    John :
    Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
    D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
  • GiphsubGiphsub Registered Users Posts: 2,662 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Harry, that hurts, but definitely money well spent! Awesome shots... AGAIN! clap.gif
    Mike Helbig

    http://www.michaelhelbigphotography.com
    http://www.thewildpig.blogspot.com
  • Frog LadyFrog Lady Registered Users Posts: 1,091 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Giphsub wrote:
    definitely money well spent! Awesome shots... AGAIN! clap.gif

    15524779-Ti.gif and my analytical side of me says that was less than $8 per recovered picture - waaaay less than they would be worth to almost any one. The 1st three, in my book, are absolutely spectacular! bowdown.gif

    C.
    Colleen
    ***********************************
    check out my (sports) pics: ColleenBonney.smugmug.com

    *Thanks to Boolsacho for the avatar photo (from the dgrin portrait project)
  • MaestroMaestro Registered Users Posts: 5,395 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    You can't put a price on your own personal pics. Heck just the mental anguish and second-guessing you would have gone through if you had told them to forget it would have been horrible so in the respect the $1500 was well spent.

    Wonderful pics too. I really like the kingfisher that you caught and that coot is wonderful. Do their bills get that color when in breeding colors? ne_nau.gif I've only seen them with the white bills. That was a coot, right?
    Stephen
    www.capture-the-pixel.com

  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Ric Grupe wrote:
    Ooooooooh!!!

    241534126-L.jpg

    Only you can say if it was worth it. I get to look at them for free! Thanks, Harry. :D

    To me it was worth it Ric. Glad you liked that shot.
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • Osprey WhispererOsprey Whisperer Registered Users Posts: 3,803 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Holy expensive osprey feathers Batman. Sorry to hear of your misfortunes Harry. That sucked. I was pissed when my HD gave way and it set me back $125 to get things fixed ..new drive installed and "most" of my files recovered. Don't know what I was missing..but it was all backed up 3 times anyway. Guess I'll keep being paranoid about losing image files. Glad you got it all recovered. Now about 2 new cameras. Man you suck. :Dthumb.gif
    Mike McCarthy

    "Osprey Whisperer"

    OspreyWhisperer.com
  • PrescottPhotogPrescottPhotog Registered Users Posts: 1,174 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Harryb wrote:
    Hi Y'all, Total cost around $1500. :yikes

    Heck Harry.. just the ones you posted here were worth the bucks to get them back. Beautiful photos !!

    I'm sure you (although it was the hard way) taught us all a very important lesson.
    '
    Prescott Photog, Chris - " One Shot, One Still "
    '
    Canon CPS Member
    SmugMug Pro User - www.PrescottOutdoors.net
    NAPP Member..Click for Info
  • leaforteleaforte Registered Users Posts: 1,948 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    It was worth it to me. Thanks for taking the plunge.
    Growing with Dgrin



  • DsrtVWDsrtVW Registered Users Posts: 1,991 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Definately
    Nice Saves there. I would say they were worth it. It just worth it for the memories of each shot. When i look at my shots it brings back the day and the enjoyment.thumb.gifthumb.gifthumb.gif Thanks for sharing Harry
    Chris K. NANPA Member
    http://kadvantage.smugmug.com/
  • NanaMoNanaMo Registered Users Posts: 189 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Harry, knowing the quality of photos you take I would have said "goferit"! yelrotflmao.gif

    Wise decision and well worth the money......you have to have be so please with the decision.

    Keep shooting :photo:photo:photo(and backing up....yelrotflmao.gif)...Chris is right ....thanks for the lesson and happy you got your photos back.

    Maureen
  • kgarrett11kgarrett11 Registered Users Posts: 525 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Great shots Harry. If the others are like these then it is worth the money. By the way, I also ordered the D3 from Adaorama and there are about 300 ahead of me. They are getting in about 10 a week so I am hoping that I will get it about June or July.
    www.Prideinphotography.com
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  • pyrypyry Registered Users Posts: 1,733 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    I'm backing up right now...

    Harry, those sunset shots are priceless! clap.gif
    Creativity's hard.

    http://pyryekholm.kuvat.fi/
  • MoniMoni Registered Users Posts: 245 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Hey, I thought of this thread when I read this article in the NY Times:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/technology/personaltech/10basics.html?_r=1&8dpc&oref=slogin

    It talks about recovering deleted photos if you accidentally delete them. Not the same thing but twigged my memory nonetheless.
    ...
    http://monicarooney.smugmug.com/
    ...
  • saurorasaurora Registered Users Posts: 4,320 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    Really nice shots, Harry! I'm thinking Linda must be a pretty nice gal!!! thumb.gif
  • BigAlBigAl Registered Users Posts: 2,294 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    Those are stunners Harry thumb.gif

    Can't comment on the cash, but it sounds *very* expensive. If I do a rough conversion, that would work out at around 1000 beers at my local pub :cry
    Birds
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  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,959 moderator
    edited January 10, 2008
    Sounds about right for the work that was done. Great shots to have back too.
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • ChrisJChrisJ Registered Users Posts: 2,164 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    Beautiful shots! If it had been my drive, I think I would have done the same, especially with those pictures to save...
    Chris
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    Rhuarc wrote:
    Glad they were able to recover the stuff for you Harry! Great looking stuff as always! clap.gifclap.gif

    Thanks Wendell, it was a relief when they told me they had been successful.
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • VycorVycor Registered Users Posts: 386 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    Some of those photos are worth $1500 by themselves.. omg that one of the sunset with the birds, amazing
    Adam Daley
    www.adamdaley.com
    www.fdphotos.net
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    Vickster wrote:
    Brilliant decision! Somethings just can't have a monetary value attached to them. My husband and I own a small business and we lost our hard drive and all our company information. It couldn't be recovered and I had to rebuild our whole bookkeeping system from scratch using old records, YIKES! Anyway, we started backing up online with a company called Iron Mountain. It's not too expensive, couple hundred a year but it does an automatic backup of all our info once a day. Never will we lose everything again. I now want to use the same system for backing up my photos.
    You made a great decision to safe those shots, they are stunning, all of them!

    Thanks, I also I had other files on the HD other thans pics that I wanted to save. One contained a list of deep pocket political donors that had taken hours to put togther. It was good to get back all that data.

    Right now I'm leaning towards a terabyte back-up system.
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • HarrybHarryb Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 22,708 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    Icebear wrote:
    Well see, for guys like you who take photos as special as these ALL THE DAMN TIME, you might need to ask whether it was worth the $1500. Me . . . any one of those would be worth that $$$ to me if I'd shot it. Man, they're beautiful, especially the splashy one (#2).bowdown.gif

    Thanks but you also have to realize I took over a 1000 shots to get less than 200 "keepers".
    Harry
    http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
    How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
  • IcebearIcebear Registered Users Posts: 4,015 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    If you get 200 keepers out of a thousand shots, you really are a photographic genius - not that there was any doubt in my mind.
    John :
    Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
    D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
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