Lost 100 Wedding pictures due to card corruption- what to do?

I am very new to weddings, this was my second technically, and my first longer one (6 hours of coverage)

Things went well, but a card went corrupt in the camera, and I lost 100 files completely of the speeches/toasts, and the couple's first dance. (they didn't dance again, so I can't pass a different one off as the 1st.) Here's the details on that card failure if you want them: https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1252969

What do I do? I only charged them $650 in the first place for the wedding... No ammount of a refund is going to make this right.

I have considered sending the card to LC tech for their recovery, it's $175... but there are no guarantees...

Sandisk or Lexmark has a recovery tool that seems to work well. You may want to check those out. I think it's free.

Oh nevermind, I see you already tried that.

Reading through the other thread, I see you have tried every file recovery option you could find, with no luck.

If you were the bride & groom, what would you want your photographer to do in this situation? Seems to me the thing to do is honestly explain to them what happened, and offer an appropriate refund or comparable free product. When I say appropriate refund, I mean if you lost 25% of the shots you took then refund 25% of what they paid.

This sort of thing should be covered in your contract.

Be honest with the clients. Let them know what happened and what you are trying to do to correct it. At least you will set a reasonable expectation and you never know, it might not be the end of the world to them.

I do cover this in my contract (refund based on % lost, so 20min~ $50), I just hoped that it would never happen, as it is unfourtunate for everyone involved. I talked to Sandisk's data recovery recommended company: LC tech. they charge $175 if they have success with even one image. That's a huge portion of what I was paid for this wedding which I was already not making money on (to build a solid portfolio).

Would you risk the $175 if they are able to recover only a portion of the images?
If you knew you could get them all back would you spend the $175?

Unfortunately referells are the name of the business. So you have to ask yourself, is the $175 worth it for a positive referrel. If the recovery doesnt happen than you can truely say that you have exhausted all avenues of recovery and if a bad revue comes that is unfortunate.

I do definately agree with the others. Be up front with the client. While technical difficulties do happen, they still are never a positive thing for anyone. I would say its worth it.

I'd almost certainly risk it.

As an alternative, offer them a portrait shoot where you recreate a dance scene.

robots4joey wrote in post #15321108
Would you risk the $175 if they are able to recover only a portion of the images?
If you knew you could get them all back would you spend the $175?

I would absolutely risk it. If you get all or most back, then you've saved your reputation with that client, and they know you're willing to do what it takes when emergencies happen. If you get only one back, you're out the money, but at least you've exhausted every single possible avenue, which the client might appreciate. (They might not too, but that's a chance you take when something goes horribly wrong.) And of course, if you don't get anything back, you've lost nothing, but maybe the client would still appreciate the effort.

If I were the client, I would expect the photographer to go to any possible lengths to retrieve the shots, since at this point there's a possibility they still exist.

I would go ahead and send it to LC Tech. Even if the cost means you lost money on this wedding, I think you owe it to the client. This is one of those occasional costs of doing business that you have to build into your pricing structure.

I would explain to them the situation and tell them you are sending card off (at your expense) to have the images recovered, if possible. Even tell them how much it is costing you. They will respect you for it. Offer the staged shoot if it does not work. Then offer the % back as your contract states. This is your only option and it will show you are professional.

I have a hard time believing that they did not dance again all night.....wow...mine usually dance 3 or 4 times throughout the night. Not that you are mistaken, that's not what I mean....but after 20 years I still dance with my wife (she dances much better than I do) and every wedding I have shot, the bride/groom dance together several times....that's an unlucky thing for you.

My clients have never chosen the "toasts" shots for their album. So I wouldn't think it would be that big of an issue there, but yes, the first dance is a full double page layout. Make it right.....even if it cost you $775.....as said above, reputation and word of mouth is a large part of our marketing.

I have done enough wedding to have lost every part of different ones ( Just parts, never the whole thing) and the clients have never seen it as the end of the world. This all happened back in the film days mainly when the film was being processed.

I told the couple and half the time I got laughs.
OFten it would be of some part one or the other wasn't keen on doing and just meant one got their way instead of the other.

Speeches and the first dance are not that big a deal at all and lots of shooters don't even stick around to shoot them any more. IF you have the ceremony and the formal Pics, that's the main part and they would most likely trade the loss of the speeches which really are a non event anyway than loose the important bits. First dance, again, not that big of a deal in reality.

Like said, be honest and upfront and I think you will find they are a lot less concerned about it that you are. ;0)

Thanks for all the advice, I do think that this is one of those things I need to involve the clients in to some degree.

They were not actually planning on having me there for their first dance, they did 6 hours of coverage, originally I was set to leave after the toasts, but they were ahead of schedule, so they were able to do the dance before I left. That's why they didn't dance again while I was there, I left about 20 minutes after the first dance.

So here's a thought, what if I give them the option of having me send it to the company, or just give them the $175? They may really rather have the cash than just the possibility of saved photos... is that tacky to offer?

Yes, I think that's tacky. You should be the one taking care of the problem.

robots4joey wrote in post #15321466
So here's a thought, what if I give them the option of having me send it to the company, or just give them the $175? They may really rather have the cash than just the possibility of saved photos... is that tacky to offer?

I don't think I'd do that. If it were me in their shoes, I wouldn't really like that idea.
After all, it wasn't their fault. I know, you couldn't really help it either, but they are the customer.

You can mention it to them as an option, I suppose, but I'd definitely offer a (free?) shoot to recreate what I could?

It's a tough spot to be in.