Lessons from the Field: Avoiding Some of the Perils of Digital Photography
Text and images copyright Ellen Anon, all rights reserved

Late last year I sold my last film camera after realizing that I love the instant feedback of digital photography and the ability to process images myself on the computer. I had shot digital and film cameras in tandem for several years, but with the advent of the Canon 1Ds, I decided to commit to being a strictly digital photographer. Shooting only digital has taught me the necessity of covering the number of potential points of failure, which are greater than when shooting film. Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way.

LESSONS FROM THE FIELD
In February I was assisting Art Morris on one of his Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs) in Florida. After a productive morning I had planned to download the cards to my laptop during our midday break and burn DVDs that night. But, to my horror, the laptop wouldn’t recognize the CompactFlash card in the card reader. This error was due to a new FireWire card reader that had worked while testing it at home prior to the trip but which was now malfunctioning. My computer lacks a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot, and I had not thought to bring along cables needed to connect the camera body directly to the computer. Suddenly I had no way to download the images to my computer.

Fortunately I had an independent external storage device, the Delkin eFilm PicturePAD, to which I could download my cards. Several generous folks on the IPT also let me download the cards to their computers and created CDs for me. The problem was later found to be a bent pin in the card reader. Having an extra card reader would have eliminated a tremendous amount of stress.

Tip One: Have more than one way to download images to your computer. Many laptops have a PCMCIA slot that can be used with a card adapter. If relying upon a PCMCIA slot, then also bring a card reader or a cable to connect the camera and computer in case the PCMCIA slot fails unexpectedly. If you are depending on a card reader (my computer does not have a PCMCIA slot), bring at least two readers with you, and/or the camera-to-computer cable.

A few months later on another trip, my three-month-old laptop wouldn’t boot up, even when plugged into the wall. Although I could hear the hard drive spinning, the screen remained black. As frustration set in, I knew I needed to call tech support and quickly realized that the number I needed was nowhere on my computer, nor was it in the phone book.

Tip Two: Create a small sticker with your computer’s technical support number on it and place it on the computer. You never know when it will save the day.

I finally reached tech support who determined that I needed to return my computer to them for service. Thankfully I had an independent storage device with me so I could continue to shoot, again the eFilm PicturePAD.

Tip Three: Computers and hard drives can fail. Have an independent storage device to upload your images to in case something goes wrong with your laptop. There are several brands on the market and they can save the day if something goes wrong with your computer. It is also ideal to additionally burn CDs or DVDs or, alternately, make a copy of the files on a portable external hard drive. There are many models available now that fit in the palm of your hand and have capacities of twenty to eighty gigabytes. I personally find external hard drives to be extremely fast and a much more efficient backup device while traveling than taking the time to burn CDs or DVDs.

Perhaps I just have extraordinarily bad luck, but recently my internal CD/DVD burner stopped functioning while I was in Hawaii. I became restricted to the space on my laptop hard drive and on an independent storage device. Shooting for over a week with a 1Ds with its huge files in a wonderfully photogenic area required tremendous amounts of storage space. Daily editing helped reduce this need somewhat, but editing files before backing them up was risky. Again, having both an independent storage device and an external portable hard drive can provide peace of mind.

Another area that can be problematic is battery power. Using digital camera LCD screens to review histograms and edit images uses a great deal of battery power. Computer batteries are notorious for not lasting long enough, and the eFilm PicturePAD also has somewhat limited battery power. Realizing you may need to recharge these devices via a car charger or otherwise have access to outlets is important.

Tip Four: Another solution to the constant need for power is to bring along an external power source, such as the Digital Camera Battery, that can be used to power your camera, flash, computer and/or other devices. Having an adequate power supply when shooting digital is essential. Be aware that cold environments deplete battery power much more quickly than more moderate temperatures.

CompactFlash cards themselves can fail; not all are equally reliable. To get the products to market quickly that we digital photographers are lusting after, such as cards increasing in capacity and speed, may be at the expense of card reliability. I personally had a one gigabyte 16 X card fail on its second use. The camera indicated an “ERR 02” message and I could not continue shooting until I turned the camera off and then back on. The card then appeared to be functioning normally. Eventually I realized that the image being previewed in the LCD screen was not the most recent shot. Although the camera was shooting, nothing was being written to the card. The camera itself continued to perform flawlessly with other cards. This particular CompactFlash card manufacturer later acknowledged a problem with the card.

Tempted by the lure of a one gigabyte capacity, I bought a 32 X speed card that worked so well I bought another. On its first use the second card also seemed to work flawlessly until I went to download its images to my computer. All of its files were corrupted. An image rescue program was able to recover the data intact, but the card went back to the store. Even cards from the most reliable manufacturers fail at times.

Tip Five: Make certain not only to have enough CompactFlash cards, but also divide your shooting among several cards. Cards can fail for a variety of reasons and you don’t want to lose any of your data.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Does all of this make me want to give up digital and return to a film camera? No way! I love digital, and although the up-front costs are substantial, once you develop a workflow in the field and on your desk, the costs decrease dramatically. Besides, film had its problems too. A couple of years ago, on a puffin and whale trip to Newfoundland, I had 30 rolls of film I had pushed two stops. The lab incorrectly processed the film and ruined it all. Ouch! Maybe Murphy of Murphy’s Law just follows me around a little too closely, but at least I have learned to have back ups and alternatives each step of the way when shooting digital. Lessons learned!

Ellen Anon is a freelance photographer specializing in outdoor and nature photography. She co-leads photography workshops including some with Arthur Morris/Birds As Art and teaches Photoshop workshops for the McDonald Digital Institute. She also provides individual instruction in both photography and Photoshop. Her photography has been used in calendars, billboards, posters, books (including “Mother Earth” by Sierra Club) and has been featured in galleries. For more information visit her website at www.sunbearphoto.com.