Photos are the one file type that no one can ever reproduce. Spreadsheets could be recreated again. Weddings, graduations, holidays: all of these things exist only once. Therefore photo recovery has become its own body of work here in regards to where each picture exists (camera memory card, thumb drives they have been copied to, computers/laptops they have been organised on, and external drives that contained "the archive").
The card that broke mid-shoot. The deletion to the wrong folder. The formatting done on the wrong card. The laptop that died when there were ten years of unsorted photos on the desktop. The external drive that clicked once then stopped working. All five are examples of different types of accidents. But all share this one thing: in each disaster, most of the images will usually still be available, either as deleted files, as complete data on a newly formatted disk, or on platter(s) an inaccessible drive cannot read from.
It's usually not the disaster that causes the damage. It's usually something you do after the fact that writes new data: taking pictures onto the memory card again, creating new files on the HDD/SSD again, doing a fresh install again.
Properly recovering photos involves accessing the files below the file system. When we image a device, it is done once, carefully. All of the photographs are extracted from the raw data using the unique signature for each type of photo. For example, this includes JPEG and HEIC, all types of RAW photos including CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF and DNG as well as video formats such as MP4, MOV, and fragment-prone AVCHD. These are reassembled so that when you receive your recovered video, it will be playable. If there is some type of physical damage to a hard drive, the drive is fixed first. We perform all carving operations on a copy of the original.
Fragments can be very important during this process. A partial JPEG image represents a legitimate photo, but without both parts of the image, the bottom of it is grey. Rather than giving up on the missing piece of your photo, we will go out of our way to find it.
When we have completed the recovery process, we check the recovered data to ensure that it is usable. Your recovered photos and videos will open/play. We also remove duplicates and organise all data by date. Once complete, we transfer all data onto new media. As part of your delivery package, we include a letter detailing any issues that may have prevented us from fully recovering your photos. On top of that, prior to receiving payment from you, we will provide you with information on whether or not your photos were successfully recovered. In fact, in most cases where photos are not recoverable upon completion of service there is no charge at all.
Memory cards and USB thumb drives cost a fixed £250 + VAT, while individual drives (of any kind) cost £300 + VAT. All chip-level exception scenarios are documented/quoted in advance of commencing work. Every scenario begins with a complimentary online free diagnostic service. The amount charged will be clearly stated in writing prior to beginning any work. Most cases have no financial obligation unless the data is recovered. There are no hourly rates, evaluation fees, or percentages of file value charged.
In general the chances are very good if you simply stop using the device immediately after loss. Once deleted, files remain on a storage medium even though they appear lost forever because deletion only deletes the indexing entries to those files. The actual files themselves do not become deleted until other new files overwrite them. With every new photo you take, every new file you download, and every new file you synchronise with your devices, you create a "lottery ticket" against your existing collection of photos. Therefore, please power down the device or eject the card and bring it to us "as-is".
Both, together: the drive comes out (or the board is worked on directly with soldered machines), is imaged, and then the photo recovery software works against the image. A dead computer rarely equates to lost photos; it equates to lost access to those photos.
Yes, often. Images that are half grey are an indication that the recovery process was only able to extract partial data: this is very typical when using free recovery software attempting to read a failing device. Using a full hardware image usually allows for the entire frames to be recovered and re-carved in one piece. It will always beat having to repair broken exports each time. Send the original device, not the failed exports.
All data written by a camera: all of the primary RAW file types, stills, burst photography, as well as drone and dash cam video, which have their own unique and sometimes awkwardly segmented container formats. The use of RAW files or long-form video is where most generic recovery tools fail and where signature level recovery excels.
Before you drop your device off or post it, please get a quote from us by phone or using the form first. Then there are two honest routes for dropping off and delivery. No vans. Hand in the device at Tay House, 300 Bath Street (right at Charing Cross, two minutes off the M8) Monday to Friday, 9am–5:30pm, without need of an appointment. Or wrap the device well and send by insured, tracked post from anywhere in the UK. All work is done in-house by our own engineers. We have documentation of the complete chain of custody and your data never leaves the UK.
Stop taking photos. Stop making copies. Stop testing your equipment, and allow the free diagnostics to tell you what can be recovered. Photo recovery for Glasgow: cards, drives, sticks and dead machines. Each item is carved back into individual frames and returned to you as a gallery rather than a gamble.