There are a few reasons that your images may be missing, the worst of them being that your card is damaged beyond repair. Most common however is that there is a corrupt piece of data that just makes your card look like the data is lost forever. Memory cards can be recovered with recovery software, often times all you have to do is call your local camera dealer and pay a nominal fee to save your precious memories.

Let the lessons be:
1. Never accept “ok” because its good for the client
2. If you know the right way, do it.
3. If you are unsure of the clients needs, ask.
4. When you do screw up, and you will, don’t do it twice.
5. Pray they give you a second shot.
6. NEVER get cocky.

I stand before you an extremely experienced, extremely educated, extremely humbled photographer kicking the hell out of his ego and himself for making an amateur error.

-James

Tamrac 613 Super Pro

This is the ultimate camera bag, and a thorn in my side at the same time. My personal Tamrac 613 Super Pro has traveled all over the world with me and protected my gear in some harsh climates, yet has created some headaches at the same time.Let me first start with the good points of this bag.

1. Size.
   This is absolutely the biggest camera bag you can find, that you can still fit under the seat of an airplane. As long as you don’t over stuff the top of it, there isn’t a plane made that cant accommodate the 613 under its seat. (If you are a regular traveler on regional jets like the Bombardier CRJ-200,you must sit in the aisle, on the side of the plane that has two seats.) Unlike many bags that hold a camera in the “lens down” position, the 613 is more than capable of carrying pro camera bodies like the Canon 1Ds mark III or Nikon D3x. It seems size does matter at times.
2. Durability.
   This bag has never torn, worn, or lost a stitch in 3 years of being kicked, punched, pulled, dragged, soaked, and just plain old beaten. (However, it has never been lit on fire.) The strap alone could support the weight of a hippopotamus.
3. Pockets.
   There are more tiny places to store things than any bag I have ever seen, as well as some crucial built in compartments that are Tamrac specific. Slide out battery and memory card organizers that are attached to the bag ensure that you never leave your memory card wallet anywhere, and the red markers help you decipher which cards are full.

The above three items are reason enough to buy, and keep this bag. Tamrac is nothing shy of a fantastic company, and stand by their product 100%. If something happened to my 613 now I am sure they would repair it with care and haste. This being the largest camera carrying vessel you can stuff under the seat of a plane is all the validation I need, my camera gear will never go into the baggage compartment. Keep in mind the good points, when reading about what makes me crazy.

What I would change to improve the 613 Super Pro.

1. The divider system
   As genius as the divider system is, the Velcro just doesn’t stand the test of time. Currently my 613 looks like a pile of gear surrounded by limp padding, a pile of electronic mashed potatoes. Every time the dividers are repositioned the Velcro lets loose before my hands are out of the bag (after 3 years).
2. The laptop pouch is of very poor design.
   Many of the Tamrac shoulder bags are designed with the capability of sliding some part of the bag over the handle of a rolling suitcase to make travel in airports easier. The concept is great, and wonderful to have on some of the bags. In the case of the 613 and 614 Super Pro , the pass way for the handle is between the camera bag and the laptop. This creates a ton of stress on the laptop compartment literally bending it to the point where a 15″ laptop will no longer fit in the sleeve, furthermore, if you laptop is already in the sleeve you run the risk of bending or breaking the chassis. Note: Flexing of the laptop sleeve is also an issue when you have the bag full, or slightly overloaded. The chassis of my previous Macbook Ti fell victim to some bending over time from this issue. Tamrac offered to put in a rigid insert, preventing further bending, but I never had enough time where the bag wasn’t needed to send it in.
3. No camera bag truly accommodates larger lenses.
   In the case of the 613, being a larger shoulder bag, one would expect to carry larger lenses (any lens with a 62–77mm filter diameter and a lens hood) with ease. At this time there is a Canon 1Ds Mark III, a Canon 70-200 2.8L IS, a Canon 24-70 2.8L, a spare body and some accessories in my bag. There is no way another “L” class lens would fit. My assumption is, when Tamrac claims it fits two bodies, five lenses, and a flash they were talking about manual focus equipment, or smaller prosumer lenses.

Tamrac 613 Super Pro has been good to me, but I don’t believe there is a truly “pro” designed bag available, Tamrac or otherwise. If you want a bag that won’t fall apart, and fits as much as humanly possible on an airplane, this is your bag. In the event that you desire the perfect camera bag for any occasion and use nothing but high-end lenses, I am just as stuck as you are at the time of this writing. There are a few more nuances that could be added to any bag to truly make it a “pro” level bag, my invitation to assist in the design of a bag must have been lost in the mail.

All of Tamrac’s products produced with a three digit number (eg. the 613) are made in the USA. Tamrac products with a four digit number (eg. the 5613, a bag very similar to the 613) are produced overseas.

Happy Shooting!

After doing a few of these shoots I began to speculate the potential damage that could happen if I lost grip on the camera,  and began the search for a solution. Camera stores had no clue, it was like I was asking for a cherry pie at Weight Watchers, they were completely befuddled. For a little while I contemplated constructing my own device and marketing it for my fellow photographers, I simply don’t have the time or the sewing skills to complete this task. One day my travels took me to Eastern Mountain Sports for some shock cord, and I presented my quandary to one of their associates. The woman appeared puzzled for a second, but not nearly as perplexed as the trained monkeys in the camera store, then began to lead me to the ice climbing section. (I am a climber, but not an ice climber, my suspicion was “She’s flat out bananas.”) It glistened like a ray of sunlight was highlighting it through the clouds, it was an ice axe leash. As the associate took it from the wall I was getting excited, it wasn’t exactly what was in my head but it was damn close.

Ice climbers use an “ice axe” to claw into ice and hold their weight from falling, it is a wonderful tool. However it depends on human factors that can be fatal (if you lose your grip). Falling from a cliff must be a terrible way to spend an afternoon, so at some point in time an ice climber invented the “ice axe leash” which is meant to hold your body weight if you happen to lose your grip on your axe. The leash that the associate pulled from the wall was the Black Diamond Slider leash, which I personally don’t see as a fool proof method, my perplexity must have shown for she was quick to chime in, “They make more than that style, we simply don’t carry them, but i can show you in the catalog.” … “Lead the way outdoor sports goddess, show me the solution.”

This quest had been going on for nearly six months and there it was, in all of its glory, the Black Diamond Lockdown Leash. The slider can loosen on the wrist, all that tightens it is a brass tube that is hard to tighten when your on the job, the Lockdown, however, acts like a noose. If weight or force is applied it does exactly what it is called, it locks down cinching on your wrist and saving your camera (or you) from certain death.

There are a plethora of neckstraps in the world, personally I prefer the Tamrac N-45 quick release, and attach the Black Diamond Lockdown leash to the female end that is permanently mounted to the camera so you can remove the neckstrap in windy situations without removing the Lockdown. (It also prevents breakage in the event the neckstrap quick clips fail.) Knowing your camera is safe makes it easier to keep your mind free to compose the shot as your wish. Happy shooting!

**www.shooteditpublish.com advises that you DO NOT attempt to create shots like this, it is extremely dangerous.