The Day My MAC went wrong

We are all told and told again to back up our files, well I use two different back up options one is Time machine, the other is just an external hard drive where every image I have ever taken is stored in its raw state.

My external hard drive is spilt into  years so 2008,2009 and 2010
next it contains folders in months  for example JAN 2010, some folders have clients names on,
so you see I'm all backed up

Ok so here is what happened, I switched on my MAC in the morning to work on some images stored on my external hard drive, every thing was fine and in tact working well, I also had some CF cards with clients RAW images on so backed those up twice, Got a phone call from an old friend so shut down the computer unplugged every thing and went out.

That evening I decided to continue working on some clients images. Duly plugged in the computer and switched it on. Oh what's happening it seemed to take a really long time to load, and when my screen loaded it was a completely different background from the one I had in the morning?, The little rainbow wheel kept spinning and spinning, 30 minutes later it stopped but all my desk top icons were missing?

I clicked on my files folder and  rainbow disc kept spinning? Very odd, Then random files kept popping up on the desktop like 3d png more and more files kept appearing in random places, EEK

when my picture folders appeared they were all empty??!!!!

yes every single image had gone, I restarted the MAC guess what? it started fine this time, but not an image to be found, checked my back up all the folders were in tact but empty!

Decided to check my external hard drive on my other computer, At first I was like PHEW, every folder was there . BUT oh no when I clicked on any folder made in 2010, even if it just had a clients name it was empty.

Sensibly I had purchased the APPLE care plan, so  called them, they told me to insert the diagnostic care plan utility disc. This checks the MAC for faults well 30 minutes later every thing had passed nothing wrong.

The man talks me through a reinstall while preserving data , err this didn't work either

I then get an appointment at Thurrock only a 100 mile round trip to take my heavy MAC into the APPLE store (have you tried carrying a 21 inch MAC through Lakeside?)

Eventually I get seen 20 minutes after my appointment time, Little guy looks up my case number and says oh its over heating then?? err no I say, he does a trash and burn without any attempt to  find lost data, then tells me its fine nothing wrong,

I refuse to take the MAC home 3 days later Apple call me to tell me they have cleaned the MAC as it was dusty so this may have made it over heat, they have install snow leopard for me and Iworks, when can i come and get the computer?

Now my dilemma is what do I do next? Obviously  the external hard drive is going off to try and have the data retrieved, Yet talking to companies that do this there seems little hope as MAC is LINUX based and has  its own way of saving data.. Lost of earning for me is extremely high. So where do I go from here what do I do next

Answers please

10 THINGS THEY DONT TELL YOU ABOUT NEW BABIES

 

There is no moment that compares to the moment you hold your newborn baby, After 9 months of waiting and feeling uncomfortable and hours of labor your bundle of joy is here

1) Being a mum myself I know this wonderful feeling to you your wrinkle scrunched up little baby will be the best looking baby in the world. Many babies are born with odd shaped heads they may look pointed or look flat, this is normal.

2) Not long after baby arrives it poo,s yes and its like thick black tar, The idea of having  some sort of paint scraper comes to mind as  this first black stinky poo takes ages to clean off. Not to worry after a couple of these nasty nappy fillers babies poo turns yellow like mustard and even seems to look if it has seeds in it.

3) Babies skin goes through lots of changes and most new borns do not have nice peachy looking skin, Its normal for the skin to be a reddish colour with lots of marks and blotches. I highly recommend scratch mitts as for some reason new babies always seem to scratch their little faces. In the first 4 weeks baby's skin will appear very dry especially in all those little creases .

4) Babies suffer from sticky eyes as they have blocked tear ducts a baby cant cry any tears until around 3 weeks old. Just gentle clean babies eyes with some cool boiled water and cotton wool use a fresh cotton wool ball for each eye.

5) The umbilical cord in UK hospitals a clip is applied to the cord like a huge peg, it will fall off after about 7 days, as the umbilical cord turns yellow then black and falls off.

6) Breast or bottle well to be honest mum the choice is yours. I have done both feeding methods. OK so breast is best or is it? Breast fed babies tend to be more unsettled and want feeding more frequently and seem to be much harder to get into a feeding routine. In the first few days you breast feed you will suffer after pains worse then labor pains. Will your breast get sore? Yes they will, you will also have to watch your diet and wont be able to take any strong pain killers.

If you opt to bottle feed you will know just how much feed your baby has taken, your partner will be able to help, you can eat what you like and take pain killers.

On a personal note I breast fed two of my children and bottle fed two .It has made no difference to their health or growth as they have grown up, nor has it made any difference to their teeth or eye sight, it has not made them more or less intelligent. It has not made them fatter. It’s totally down to choice how you decide to feed your infant.

7) Sleep. Yes babies do sleep a lot in fact they can’t tell the difference between night and day. If this is your first baby seriously take this advice and when baby sleeps you go to sleep. Stuff the housework. Live on ready meals for a few weeks it wont hurt. Sleep deprivation will now become the norm, Says she who lays awake waiting for the 18 year old to come home. If you have a toddler see if grandma or aunt can help and maybe take the toddler off your hands for a few hours in the first weeks. Don’t try and carry on as normal and be super mum do take any offers of help. Even if it’s a friend offering to do your laundry for a few days .

8) Babies breathe really fast about  twice as fast as adults they take very shallow breaths, like every parent you will spend hours staring at them to make sure they are breathing. This is perfectly normal all parents do it.

9) Babies can’t figure out how to breath through their mouths if their nose is blocked up, hence all the snorting and sneezing

10) Babies are wonderful and precious, Babies are an everyday miracle, here you are holding this new little life you have created. Make the most of it lots of cuddles you cant spoil a baby by loving it. The more you hold baby the better, you are not going to turn it into some clingy little spoilt monster, After all do you remember being a baby?

From Mum to Mum babies grow up they are not forever, they soon turn into cheeky toddlers, then into small children where they start to question the world around them and form their own ideas, next comes the tweenie stage at about 8 years where you will be told “I HATE YOU”, then the teenage stage in boys this stage lasts forever, sulking moaning, the URGH response when asked something.

Cherish each moment with your baby, as babies don’t keep.

Lastly if you would like some beautiful pictures of your new baby taken in the comfort of your own home, with plenty of time for feeding and clothing change

All for the special price of £25.00 sitting fee with a free print and a baby proof photographer. Then do please contact me. Guaranteed to handle each  new little person with care and to provide you with a wonderful keepsake of the new little person in your life.

 
 

What Happens when it rains???

I visited a lovely family in Diss for the first time in March 2010, unfortunately about 30 minutes after my arrival in March the heavens opened in true British style, The rain just started and went on until dusk fell. Although I got a few good pictures I certainly wasn’t happy. So arranged a free revisit once the weather turned nicer.

So on Sunday 4 July I made the trip back to Diss, the weather was glorious . This meant little A was free to run around her rather large cottage garden while I took her pictures, We even persuaded mum and dad to join in.

Many a time people ask what happens when it rains, well if it rains on your wedding day we have to compromise and take images inside or use props such as umbrellas.

If it rains on the day your lifestyle session is booked as long as the session fee has been paid in full it can be rebooked at no extra charge. In some cases I leave the booking open and once the weather picks up I ring you to schedule a day your available.

Of course many people prefer lifestyle session during the summer months when clothing is lighter and children can be on the beach, Yet don’t dismiss Autumn and winter. I have completed a few wonderful sessions on autumn days with the wonderful tones of golds and reds. Winter has its own beauty dress up warm add a bright scarf and get out in the chilly frost or if your really lucky the snow.

Lifestyle means just that it captures your family style, how you interact together, how you laugh and have fun. 

School summer holidays are fast approaching and to give people the chance of sampling a lifestyle session I have lowed my family  session price to just £30, this offer will include a free print of your choice as well as the many options to purchase prints,canvas,other wall hanging options and photo-books.

Remember a Lifestyle photo session can take place where you like, maybe your garden, a park or beach, Maybe some where special to you. No upright studio poses no say cheese. What better way to capture the true spirit of your family and memories of your children that will last forever

Visit my website Andrea's photography or give me a call

I believe a photo session should be about what you want not what the photographer wants

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING

When you first purchase your DSLR and walk out of the shop with it. You do not purchase the skills or knowledge to make you a professional photographer. Your camera is just a tool.

These days you can hardly turn around without someone offering you training. You can go and find out about some new aspect of photography or simply brush up on your skills. There is so much choice

How do you decide whether you need training, what the right course might be for you and whether the course comes up to scratch or is a complete waste of money..

You need to be honest with yourself about where you are on a personal level, and what areas of your skills or business may need bolstering. It’s worth pointing out straight away that training is in no way an admission of weakness. The best photographers even those that have been big names for years take on training.

Be honest with yourself and take on the type of training you need. It maybe to further your business skills, or marketing skills

You may have just bought your first DSLR and want to get the most out of it Nikon

Training courses start from the very basic right through to one to one training

Speak to any photographer and almost all have had some aspect of training

So where do you start? That really depends on your skills.

You could start off taking an introduction course to digital photography

You could do an on line course with the Open university T189

You could join in photo answers free digital SLR skills

I highly recommend joining a camera/photographic club as these offer members many free workshops. Also most camera clubs have a few experts in different genres such as portrait, Landscape

If your seriously considering making your hobby a business.

Then a course in business and marketing is a crucial fist step. Many people do not realise that actually photography is about 10% of a pros work.

Marketing skills is one of the most important aspects of running a photography business.

Next would be understanding photo shop and creating a workflow. Understanding how to design albums and source products, How to create slideshows and on line galleries maybe build your own website.

Next would come hands on experience courses mainly done in small groups.

These can involve one day workshops working on lighting, wedding poses,portraits and many many more.

Training isn’t just for the professional you may just want to take better images of your family or have been asked to capture a friends wedding. Maybe you would  like to produce better landscapes to hang on your wall or give to friends or abstract arty images to sell locally.

Some training course are run as photographic holidays

I have undertaken a fair amount of training myself in Lifestyle portraits, Wedding photography, business and marketing as well as training in photoshop and other digital media. This helps me give my clients the very best up to date products 

USING FLASH ON A SUNNY DAY

The sun is out the sky is blue and you have your camera ready to take pictures, maybe you want to get some pictures of your children having fun on the beach.

What a wonderful bright sunny day for you to be out on. What a nightmare for your camera.

Lots of friends ask me why when the sun is shinning do their photos come out so bad why are my children all dark?

Simple answer is your camera does not see the child or object you’re taking it reads the light and there is nothing much brighter then sunlight.

To expose people correctly in your pictures you need to use a flashgun, yes a flashgun on a sunny day

The term used is FILL FLASH you set your camera exposure for the light reading it takes then place your flashgun at 2/3 of its power and take your picture. Wow no harsh shadows on your subject.

You can also purchase a small 3 in 1 reflector to add a warming tone to a person skin or to deflect light from a flower.

If your on the beach remember sand and water to reflect light making the work for your camera even harder, At all times keep your camera free of sand and avoid salt water.

You may be down the beach when the sunsets how ever tempted you are DO NOT point your camera directly at the sun not only can it harm your eyes it also harms your lens. Focus your pictures slightly away from the sun to prevent lens damage. The digital camera lens is just like and eye and too much direct light will damage the lens.

If you have been asked to take a friends wedding pictures on a sunny day. Be warned sunshine is great for the bride, but not great for taking photos if you lack understanding of how your camera reads light.

If you do not understand fully your camera and lens you will end up with images that have over highlighted and lost detail in the dress, harsh shadows on the skin, over highlighted skin tones on the foreheads of people, unfortunately even with the best Photoshop equipment burnt out highlights can not be bought back.


It’s a one off day that you can’t retake if you get it wrong. This is why people pay the extra money for a professional 

The Month of May A Time To Celebrate

The month of May is named after the Greek Goddess Maia. This month is a time for celebration as after the long cold winter, flowers emerge and new grass and leafs start to grow.

In Britain May day marks the end of winter and the start of summer its a time to look forward to warmer brighter weather . Traditional May day celebrations include dancing around the maypole. Greenery was traditionally collected by children who then paraded around the village.

May day is the first Monday in May this year I spent my May day capturing the wedding celebrations of George and Caralyn at the beautiful Fennes Estate in Braintree. It was rather a breezy chilly day so this meant we had to make use of the beautiful interior of the Fennes, which is  not a problem as the Fennes offers many a stunning backdrop.

Creative work: The weather has been great during May and allowed me some breathing space to get out and pursue a more creative side to my photography, "yes" I checked my journal and we have had more bright sunny weather than we have rain. To start with the late arrival of blue bells has meant a stunning prolonged display this year with forest floors awash with colour. Then of course the warmer days and shorter night have meant fields of vivid yellow oilseed covering the landscape. Along with this I noted almost every grass verge aglow with nodding dandelions. All the different shades of  green and reds in the tress lead to a stunning spring. Not so great for any one flying but the volcanic ash produced some amazing sunsets and clear night skies.

MODEL SHOOT: I was also lucky to work this month with another great bunch of photographers and take part in a model shoot, I got to work with the lovely Layla and opted for a slight vintage effect on the photos 

FAMILY TIME: The nice weather has meant a few day trips to the beach, Our favorite place for this is Walton on the Naze , We even had a picnic in the sunshine surrounded by buttercups and bird song.

A beautiful month 

Oak Apple day Is another celebration that takes place on the 29th May . The reason for wearing oak apples or oak leafs was to celebrate the Kings narrow escape from capture by Cromwells soldiers .

Until well into the twentieth century anyone caught not wearing an oak apple or oak leaf on the 29th May could be pinched kicked or whipped with stinging nettles , Hence in some villages the day is known as nettle day, "OUCH"

Being A Photographer

Many people ask me why I want to be a photographer an area of work already over subscribed. What did I first do to become a photographer?

well it isnt as easy as just picking up a camera and firing off a few shots.
or buying a pro level camera and walking out the shop saying well now I will take better pictures.
No photography doesn't work like that.

I originally trained and shot on film, then took a break to have my family.
Along then comes the wonderful world of digital, putting control back in to the photographers hands, No more relying on film labs to decided how and what colour your image should be.

Then comes the hard part of course anyone can take a picture its not hard now a days with camera and portrait modes but take those pre set modes away could any one still take a good picture?

So firstly I set out to understand how my digital camera sees the world its grey did you know that? cameras dont see a colour image every thing is grey, cameras cant separate white from black. dont believe me try it yourself with three bits of paper, white,grey and black. set your camera into M yes thats manual set metering mode to spot ,aperture at F16 and make sure the exposure is 00 now take each piece of paper without changing the settings,

Do you get white, grey and black,? NO you just get three shots of grey paper

so learning how your camera perceives light is the first lesson.

Rules of thirds is another lesson everything some how some way follows this rule even a human face
Composition where do you place the subject in the frame in the middle? NO
POV and angle all this is important do you always fire off shots from the same position ?

All that is the easy bit, then we come to posing people yes even the best shots are posed a good photographer can pose people without them even knowing its been done.
This way you get wonderful naturally looking shots with no shadows or highlights the skin tone remains even and smooth.

After you have mastered your tool or paint brush then you can start on mastering photo-shop . I see to many amateur over cooked images, where saturation is far to high, what looks good on your monitor may well look awful when its printed

so before you even start in photo shop I recommend a colour monkey, to set your monitors colour correctly for photo production.

So now we have spent a good 12 months mastering photo-shop,
what about printing? do you print your own? if so on what?
If you purchase a printer for photos that your taking for clients then dont look at any printer priced under £600.00.
On the other hand you could upload your prints to on line labs, shame these image will only last between 10 and 25 years.

If your a serious photographer offering your clients the very best then you need to find yourself a master printer.

So after two years we feel yes I can take a great image and use photo-shop with easy and quickly and have found a great printer what next?

Start your own business , its simple not as easy as building a website and thinking everyone will be flocking to it, or uploading images to websites for all to view.

How are you going to market your business? What type of client are you aiming for?
what can you offer your clients that stands out from 100,s of other photographers in the area?
Do you know where to source the top range albums from, quality modern frames?
Do you know how to create a smooth work flow? Guess its another 12 months of more training then.

Eventually your ready and you get asked by a friend to shoot a friends wedding, great your away, Oh dear its raining, you cant take images inside your not allowed,
Oh no Aunt Lilly tripped over your camera bag and cant stand up an ambulance has to be called, Every one charges in front of the bride blocks your view just as you are about to fire off that confetti shot .

A friend of a friend has had a baby can you do the shots of the new born and his toddler brother?
Yes you say of course I can, baby screams and screams, toddler keeps pulling on your camera strap, you give up with the baby to try and get some shots of the toddler, you try and make him laugh just as he promptly picks up his cup of orange juice and the liquid spills all over you and your camera, you slip on the wet floor breaking a prize vase

I have spent about 5 years training learning working with top photographers, I have passed exams and had work printed in photography magazines. I know and understand all my equipment. I only purchase the best professional cameras and lenses .

I have a whole support network of back up photographers if I,m ill and cant make a wedding
I have attended training and course on running a small business.
I,m also fully insured

This is one simple reason I wont and I cant shoot a wedding for £150.00, I dont do any other job during the week apart from spending time editing my clients images.
I,m not a plumber Monday to Friday and a cheap wedding photographer on Saturdays.

I am a photographer an artist dedicated to producing the finest quality image possible

So please dont think that anybody with a camera is going to give you images like you see in magazines or billboards, or even be able to offer you top quality albums or coffee table books

Think hard about your photographer meet them , talk to them look at their work, Are they artists or sales person??