Wedding Pictures Corrupt / Damaged - HELP!!!!

jonmenezesjonmenezes Registered Users Posts: 1 Beginner grinner
edited July 23, 2013 in Weddings
Hi, I am facing the biggest disaster you can imagine. I have been shooting wedding for years and have never lost a single photo. 1000 images from the wedding I just shot are corrupt and cant be opened. Please help.

Nikon D700, San Disk 16gb card. RAW Files.

Heres the Story.



I have been a Wedding Photographer for three years now. I have a great business and structure set up. I work with a wonderful second photographer that amazes me every time. Last week she couldn't make a wedding, so I used a girl who showed me her beautiful portfolio, and graduated from an art school with photography as her focus. No Brainer right.



We went to the wedding and immediately i noticed she used a flash for everything. I hate flash photography. But she assured me it was the way she did it and it would look great. I figured I should trust her since she has the degree and Im self taught. During the group portraits she told me to light a scene a certain way, so i trusted her. That was my first mistake. I should have done it my way and not let her influence my work. Anyways. We shot agains a super bright background so she used a remote flash that wasn't strong enough. Needless to say the pictures came out poor. After the wedding i looked at her pictures on the camera and realized they all look horrible, like something you would get from a point and shoot camera. Its no wonder with her flash pointed directly at the people for every shot.



I dropped her off at her place and she insisted i give her MY memory card so she can fix the pictures. I said no but she insisted, she said she has the programs and skills to fix the pictures she had a part of making bad. So i gave her my card. She opened the files on her PC and pulled out the ones that were poorly shot. The folder had 999 images. She then ejected the card and gave me my card back.



I got home and put the card in my MAC and now all of the 854 files (i think she removed the missing shots) that were in the folder she opened are corrupt. I dont know what happend. My files are name JM1_7412.NEF from the camera. All the files that are bad are now named _JM23553.NEF As you can see not only did it move the underscore, but it completely changed the number sequence and added a digit. There was a second folder on the card, when a folder gets to 999, the camera creates a new folder. Every picture in that folder is ok. She never opened this folder on her computer.



I took the card to a camera shop that insisted this would be an easy fix and they would be able to get me JPGs at the least. They just called and said what theyre doing isnt working. What can I do. This has felt like it isnt the standard Corrupt file. I realize all the mistakes I made, I shouldn't have let a fancy portfolio and degree cloud my judgement. I should have kept complete control and not tried anything new for a wedding.



Also when i try to open an image in Photoshop CS5 it say "Could not complete your request because Photoshop does not recognize this type of file."



When i try to open it in Lightroom 4 it says "The files appear to be unsupported or damaged".



I've tried to simply rename them, but it doesnt work.



HELP!!!

Jon

Comments

  • Dan7312Dan7312 Registered Users Posts: 1,330 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2012
    A number of people have had good results from http://tallyns.com See this thread

    http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=222119


    jonmenezes wrote: »
    Hi, I am facing the biggest disaster you can imagine. I have been shooting wedding for years and have never lost a single photo. 1000 images from the wedding I just shot are corrupt and cant be opened. Please help.

    Nikon D700, San Disk 16gb card. RAW Files.

    Heres the Story.



    I have been a Wedding Photographer for three years now. I have a great business and structure set up. I work with a wonderful second photographer that amazes me every time. Last week she couldn't make a wedding, so I used a girl who showed me her beautiful portfolio, and graduated from an art school with photography as her focus. No Brainer right.



    We went to the wedding and immediately i noticed she used a flash for everything. I hate flash photography. But she assured me it was the way she did it and it would look great. I figured I should trust her since she has the degree and Im self taught. During the group portraits she told me to light a scene a certain way, so i trusted her. That was my first mistake. I should have done it my way and not let her influence my work. Anyways. We shot agains a super bright background so she used a remote flash that wasn't strong enough. Needless to say the pictures came out poor. After the wedding i looked at her pictures on the camera and realized they all look horrible, like something you would get from a point and shoot camera. Its no wonder with her flash pointed directly at the people for every shot.



    I dropped her off at her place and she insisted i give her MY memory card so she can fix the pictures. I said no but she insisted, she said she has the programs and skills to fix the pictures she had a part of making bad. So i gave her my card. She opened the files on her PC and pulled out the ones that were poorly shot. The folder had 999 images. She then ejected the card and gave me my card back.



    I got home and put the card in my MAC and now all of the 854 files (i think she removed the missing shots) that were in the folder she opened are corrupt. I dont know what happend. My files are name JM1_7412.NEF from the camera. All the files that are bad are now named _JM23553.NEF As you can see not only did it move the underscore, but it completely changed the number sequence and added a digit. There was a second folder on the card, when a folder gets to 999, the camera creates a new folder. Every picture in that folder is ok. She never opened this folder on her computer.



    I took the card to a camera shop that insisted this would be an easy fix and they would be able to get me JPGs at the least. They just called and said what theyre doing isnt working. What can I do. This has felt like it isnt the standard Corrupt file. I realize all the mistakes I made, I shouldn't have let a fancy portfolio and degree cloud my judgement. I should have kept complete control and not tried anything new for a wedding.



    Also when i try to open an image in Photoshop CS5 it say "Could not complete your request because Photoshop does not recognize this type of file."



    When i try to open it in Lightroom 4 it says "The files appear to be unsupported or damaged".



    I've tried to simply rename them, but it doesnt work.



    HELP!!!

    Jon
  • time2smiletime2smile Registered Users Posts: 835 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2012
    welcome, Sound like she changed your files,
    i would guess you need to know the software she used, and the workflow,
    I would import the pics that have survived and give her back the card and tell her to fix it.
    Thats assuming she can view the files, and she probably can, her software probably rewrote the entire folder, and they are no longer real .NEF files.

    good luck
    Ted....
    It's not what you look at that matters: Its what you see!
    Nikon
    http://www.time2smile.smugmug.com
  • VayCayMomVayCayMom Registered Users Posts: 1,870 Major grins
    edited June 28, 2012
    if you call this place..open 24/7.... they can tell you if they can help you or not , they recovered images from a memory card that was damaged by a cheap reader for me.

    http://www.drivesaversdatarecovery.com/
    Trudy
    www.CottageInk.smugmug.com

    NIKON D700
  • Moogle PepperMoogle Pepper Registered Users Posts: 2,950 Major grins
    edited July 2, 2012
    Try to send to tallyns for a fix.

    There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying something new at a wedding. What you did wrong though, was, hiring someone who was entirely unknown- degree or not. As well as letting her take charge during the formals. Especially if you were the main and she the 2nd.

    What about YOUR images from your cards? Use your images to recover if the card that she used cannot be redeemed.
    Food & Culture.
    www.tednghiem.com
  • Ed911Ed911 Registered Users Posts: 1,306 Major grins
    edited July 3, 2012
    I agree, it looks like her software renamed the images...as someone else has said...for what reason, I can't say. I agree, give the card back to her once you extract the good images...and she will most likely be able to copy the images to a couple of DVD's or so...and you'll be okay.

    This is the first thing that I'd try...

    If it's like I've posted, you could have all of your images in less than 30 minutes...

    Let us know. You certainly have my sympathy...good luck.
    Remember, no one may want you to take pictures, but they all want to see them.
    Educate yourself like you'll live forever and live like you'll die tomorrow.

    Ed
  • Art ScottArt Scott Registered Users Posts: 8,959 Major grins
    edited July 3, 2012
    A little late to the game....but I have always been able to recover images off any bad or corrupt card using either....Lexars Image Rescue (dang my copy is old...like 6 yrs old) or Stellar Phoenix's Photo recovery.......Image Rescue came with my very 1st Lexar 2gb CF card ...it has worked for me on CF and SD cards......Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery ...works on tons of media, Memory Cards, CD/DVD disks, hard drives... they have a long list...i purchased Stellar over 5 yrs ago cause I had over 100 CD disks that went corrupt in less than a week so I recovered and saved on hard drives....I will recommend Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery over Lexars Image Rescue simply for its ability to work with lots of media......the pro edition runs about $60...but that is cheap peace of mind.

    Stellar has a free download .... .... I am pretty sure that is their trial version...worth a try......so your card does not have to go any where.
    "Genuine Fractals was, is and will always be the best solution for enlarging digital photos." ....Vincent Versace ... ... COPYRIGHT YOUR WORK ONLINE ... ... My Website

  • JL PhotoJL Photo Registered Users Posts: 60 Big grins
    edited July 19, 2013
    damaged files
    It sounds like she "removed" files from the card instead of "copying" the files to her computer. In doing so she may have damaged the File Allocation Table which is easily restored by using a good file recovery software. It is unlikely that she removed all the files, changed them and put them back, or renamed them.

    You should never use the computer to edit, delete, add, or remove files from a card. Copy the files, and when you are certain they are backed up, format the card in the camera.

    I use Lightroom to copy my files to my computer. Lightroom creates DNG files on one drive and backs up the original NEF files on a separate drive. It also monitors this process and alerts me if there is a problem.
    www.jdleech.com Houston, TX
  • DcmackDcmack Registered Users Posts: 13 Big grins
    edited July 22, 2013
    JL Photo wrote: »
    You should never use the computer to edit, delete, add, or remove files from a card. Copy the files, and when you are certain they are backed up, format the card in the camera.

    +1
    Additionally, on my SD cards, once I pull them from my camera, I lock them with the little switch, and they stay locked until I have copied and backed up all images.
    Dave Kennedy
  • michaelglennmichaelglenn Registered Users Posts: 442 Major grins
    edited July 23, 2013
    I'm sorry to hear about the photograph situation. I think these files should be easily recoverable from what everyone else has been saying. A couple things you've mentioned raises some questions for me.

    Why did you let your second shooter take charge? Regardless if you think her skill level is above you, this is YOUR client. Did you ever think that the couple might have wondered why she was taking charge instead of yourself? If you've been in the business for three years, you should know what you're doing by now, and not have someone you hire call the shots. If you shoot mainly in natural light, and she's telling you to set up flash shots, doesn't that take away from your branding/style? You need to take charge and be "assertively nice". Your the main guy with the camera, so you call the shots and let her follow your lead.

    Also, why did you give the CF cards to your second shooter, if you are the one responsible for the final product? Shouldn't you be more concerned about backing up the footage to make sure you wouldn't have this problem in the first place?

    Having a degree from an art school + a nice portfolio doesn't mean she's instantly a professional in wedding photography. They don't teach you that in art school..you need experience out in the field. I hope you learn from your mistakes because all of this could have been easily avoidable.
    wedding portfolio michaelglennphoto.com
    fashion portfolio michaelglennfashion.com
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