Photographers Losing Photos??

The only way *you* can "ensure" photos will likely not be lost is by hiring a reputable professional photographer. I'm a photographer and after weddings, I back up photos on my laptop and external hard drive while I'm still at the venue, that way they are immediately on a secondary source. Other than that, photographers usually use multiple camera bodies and memory cards throughout the event, so that not everything is on one card.

There is no surefire way to guarantee that photos will never be lost, since accidents can always happen. Hiring a professional who has a lot of experience and takes measures to best avoid accidents is the best you can do. Ask the photographers that you're considering hiring what they do to safeguard against the possibility of losing photos.

I don't know much about photography but on your end I'd recommend looking in the contract to make sure there's a clause about what would happen in case they were to lose the photos. It'll stink to not have them but at least you won't be out of photos and money (hopefully neither).

Hire a reputable pro. I don't think this happens as frequently as you think.

Agree with OGK, you only hear about it a lot because people who have issues complain. People who hire pro's and get their pics are happy and therefore just leave good reviews rather than warnings.

I would just look at reviews for the photographer! If they have lots of good ones, then obviously they aren't losing photos. I don't think the photographer would mind if you told them this was a concern of yours. When you sign a contract or agreement with them, you should include something about losing photos. Maybe you get a percentage of money back if the photos are lost? Another way would be to have two photographers.

I have a friend who didn't just lose her photos, she lost her photographer. She went with a cheap photographer her mom suggested, and now they have no way to contact the photographers at all. It was such a crazy horror story I couldn't believe it. I don't know that you can ensure how they do their job, but make sure that you ask these questions beforehand without being condescending like "are you going to lose my photos?" Instead, ask kindly if they've ever had it happen, if they have a plan B, and what their storage solutions are. Then, TRUST THEM! If you don't trust your photographer, do not hire them. A proper photographer is someone you trust. At some point you have to give up control and trust that they will do their job. Don't stress yourself out hope I offered some insight!