In the morning, it was gone. Like so many things in the digital world
DAVIDLIGHTHOUSEPHOTO·FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2017
In the morning, it was gone. Like so many things in the digital world with a finite lifespan, my digital assistant ceased to exist. The aluminum silver case and 13" screen were there siting on my desk but when I powered on the Apple Macbook pro that started my career as a photographer, the screen lit up and the chime sounded, but it would not boot up. I tried safe mode, recovery mode, and a reinstall of the OS, but the bar slowly creeped across the screen and stalled. The screen went grey. My Apple Macbook pro was no more.
Along with the loss of my Macbook came the heart stopping realization the only copies of the photos from our trip to New York were on that very Macbook that ceased to exist. I checked my cloud sites, desktop computer, and backup hard drive and the sinking feeling when I realized the systems set in place to protect my digital catalog had failed.
I spent the flight back from Atlanta developing the shots from the Big Apple. When I arrived home, the photos were never backed up. As a new photographer there are many lessons and techniques to learn. Some lessons are learned the hard way. A word of advice to all photographers, always back up your photos.