What do you do with your used Cards??

[naja]

When you have uploaded your images from card (CF, SD or whatever) to you computer and separate storage what do you do with it?

Firstly I do hope you all store your images in more than one place. Personally I store on my computer, and also on two external drives. That way even if two of the drives go down I still have the images an the third. It is belt and braces maybe, but if you have ever lost images than you can never retake (a wedding for example) you will realise how important it is.

Secondly do you then delete the images and use the card again? May I suggest this is not the best thing to do?

When you delete the images you just remove a tag on that part of the disk that prevent it being written over, the images are actually still there. They can cause problems when your camera tries to overwrite them.

I believe it is much better to FORMAT the card in the respective camera. THis clears the old images and sets the card up as a virtually new card. It reduces the risk of card failure by a huge margin, and take now more time at all really.

 

[kaizen]

Uuh, you reuse your card? I throw them away and insert a brand new one, just like film, you know. Just kidding.

I copy my files to the computer using Lightroom import. Then I take a backup with Timemachine and before I go to the next shooting I format the card.

I'm not really happy with having the backups in my home, but the problem is really the amount of storage and upload time I would need to store it somewhere online.

The best thing I can imagine giving a backup drive to a friend, doing the backup remotly there and offer him the same service in my network in return.

//
Kai

 

[Richard500]

Well, I have only one and when that fails me I will buy a new one. As for storage, I add all images to an external Hard drive, keep a backup on an additional HDD that was spare in my PC but most importantly I upload ALL my images to Picasa Web Albums (although there are other places that are the same).

 

[Mis Adam]

Great information thank you.
When I began the digital world I was so careless about what to do never put any thought into until..... I lost so many when the hubby rebuilt the computer and I didn’t understand what he meant exactly about drive movements, that was a big mistake. LOL needless to say now I am over protective of my photography. I store them on a disc, external drive, Picasa, and off site. I always format the card as soon as they are loaded on the fish that way I don’t regret the format. my favorite is Snapfish. When I take photos for family or friends I do the edits and load them to the fish at that point I send a link and let them do the work. it takes less time and I am ok with that at least until my time is better managed and I am more than a newbie photographer.