You Win Some, You lose Some, You Win some

Fall is my favorite season. The changing light and comfortable weather gives me the urge to do some portraiture experimenting and practicing with the family. They moan and groan but it's Mom's joy, so they go along. This family outing was to Plum Island. I just got a camera upgrade and am still learning it as well as how to get that great exposure. In the process, we get a few keepers and maybe a Christmas card photo. This day, I had some good success with good lighting, mild weather and winds and smiling faces with not too much resistence. Finding the one Sunday where we are all free and the weather cooperates in the short season is limited opportunity. We left the beach with a keeper for the holiday card and we were all pleased that it went without a hitch. We ended the evening meeting up with family in Newburyport for dinner and I was so excited about my photography triumph. But when I got home and began to review the images on my laptop, the files got corrupted in the reading process. I lost my Christmas card photo and all the keepers with it. The moment of perfect lighting, calm winds, cooperative family smiles and the completion of holiday photo task all lost. It's a sick feeling. So frustrating. That moment in time is lost, gone. The whole reason I love photography is because it freezes a single unique moment in time. And when you capture a good one one camera, it can really be a winning feeling. When you lose it, it stings. I would say it's the same feeling as when an athlete made an error and cost the team the game, or a fisherman's catch that got away. I sulked about this for a few days. I started looking into how lost files can be recovered. My family were all hoping for recovery because they don't want to have to repeat the whole process of a repeat photoshoot!! Neither do I, because time is scarce and New England weather is fickle. Fortunately I work with a former photo journalist for the Salem News and he had a program to recover lost images. He look my memory card and was able to recover 75% of my lost photos!! THANK YOU MAT! So, here is what was recovered and after all the emotional turmoil behind this Christmas card, it definately earned it's spot on the front of 2010 card.