What happens to our wedding photos if the photographer gets sick or their camera fails?

Professional photographers prevent failure by taking various combined precautions . This includes shooting with dual-card cameras, carrying at least two camera bodies, and having a pre-arranged emergency coverage network of other professional photographers. Your photos should be backed up to various locations (physical and cloud) before the photographer even leaves your venue.

Documentary wedding photo of couple on Painswick Beacon to show editorial documentary photography style.

Technically

The Gear: I carry two professional digital camera bodies and two more analog camera bodies at all times. If one camera fails, I don’t stop. I simply switch. I always carry extra batteries, chargers, spare cards, and a multitude of lenses.

Real-Time Backup: Every photo I take is written to two memory cards at once. Even if one card corrupts, your data is safe. I also never shoot a full wedding on the same cards. Rather, I shoot on a new combination of cards after every main event (getting ready, ceremony, speeches & toast, etc.)

Data Recording and Security

  1. On-Site: Dual-card recording.
  2. In-Transit: One card stays on my person, one in a secured gear bag.
  3. Immediately after the wedding: Files are moved to a professional psychical harddrive and an encrypted Cloud backup within hours of the wedding. SD cards exist as an additional backup and do not get erased until the final gallery has been delivered.

In Case of Illness or Emergency

Photographer Network: I am a member of multiple online networks for professional wedding photographers here in the UK. If I cannot make your wedding due to illness or an accident or emergency, a photographer of equal style and skill will be dispatched in my place. I handle the editing myself to ensure my style remains consistent regardless of who clicked the shutter.

Peace of Mind…

Coming from a journalism background, I am trained to expect the unexpected. I’ve shot in environments where there are no ‘do-overs.’ I treat your wedding data with the same level of security a journalist treats a sensitive source. I don’t just ‘hope’ things work out; I build systems so they cannot fail. And every other photographer who calls themselves a professional wedding photographer should be doing the same.

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