My deepest regret in my Photography Career

Bear with me as I tell you one of my greatest regrets and painful experiences in my photography career.

As a photographer, your job is to capture moments and to allow that moment to last within an image for years after the moment has passed, but what happens when you fail in that?

In the year 2016, my cousin who absolutely loves my photography and trusts me, entrusted me with an event that was so close to his heart. So close that him and his wife didn’t bother taking any images, why? Because I was covering that part.

This event was not any small event or something that can be redone, this event was his only son’s 2nd birthday party.

My cousin takes pride in his family, both him and his wife do. So when he entrusts you with something concerning his family then you know he trusts you.

The event took place at Schoongezicht in Stellenbosch. They went all out with his favourite character being the theme of the party, being the minions.

The day went well, everyone was chilled and having fun.

I got home, left the images on my card as I was tired. I was doing quite a bit of shoots around that time and I had been organizing here and there with the images.

One day shortly after the event he asked me when he would be able to see some sneak peaks as any client would want to see.

I then checked on my laptop looking for the images thinking I’ve imported the images into Lightroom already. My first panic arose when I saw the folder “Caleb Erasmus” and the amount of images in that folder was 0.

I began to look all over my laptop, my hard drive, my work computer, my work hard drive, just everywhere. I couldn’t find it!

My heart sunk into pieces. I had never felt that hurt in my photography career, ever. I actually lost something so significant, something that cannot be recaptured. The worst part was having to tell my cousin who entrusted me with this. Needless to say he didn’t take it too well, I don’t think I would have either.

For weeks and months after that, even a year after, I still searched … I still kept my eyes open. But the reality was that I thought I had imported the images so I formatted the card multiple times after that. I couldn’t get the images back even if I wanted to.

I am someone who gets so paranoid about images, if I’m not sure if I backed up something I would back it up. Hence why so many times I have three or four copies of one shoot. I couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t believe I missed it.

The ONE time I lose images, was of my little cousin’s 2nd birthday party – hear me when I say, had he paid me for it, it wouldn’t have made me feel any more bad. I think I reached the peak of pain in that situation. Money was irrelevant.

I spoke with my cousin again in the middle of 2017 and I told him straight up, I’d like to make up for it. Even if it is in a small way. I know I cannot bring those images back but I’d like to do something at least.

He permitted me to do a family shoot of them.

Guys, the fact that they loved the pictures gave me so much joy. You won’t even believe how much of a relief it was – and it’s not that I was performing on the day of the shoot, I acted as I always do and just shot the way I always do. But as a result, they were in love with their images and I was beyond grateful.

So a lesson to all photographers, back up your images immediately. Absolutely immediately. There’s nothing worse than something bad happening and feeling helpless.

None the less, they loved their images. ❤