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Have you ever left your house to go do photography — perhaps on a socially-distanced stroll — only to raise your camera to your eye to a dreaded “no card” warning, or no power at all? If not, enjoy your superhuman brain I guess. If so, I have a handy trick that solved this awful problem for me and I hope will help you as well: Whenever you remove the memory card or battery from your camera, simply do not close the related door until it has been replaced. That’s it!
Now wait, you may say. Couldn’t you remember to flick on the camera and maybe fire off a shot before you leave the house? Well… actually no! The problem is precisely that I cannot! If you, like me, get wrapped up in the excitement of getting down to business, it can prove difficult to establish that muscle memory, and the failure to do so will cost you precious sanity and more than a few good photographs. The only time I reliably remember to return a battery or memory card, it turns out, is when I am actively removing it. With a battery door actively flapping around, it get the reminder I need when I need it, whether I’m about to leave the house camera in hand, or I’m packing my gear bag for a more involved excursion.
Of course there other measures you can take to minimize the odds of this problem. Export your photos with a cable and keep the memory card inside, keep an extra SD card or battery in your bag. The door trick, however, requires no extra equipment and it stacks nicely ontop of whatever habits you already have. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
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