For extreme sports and action photographer Richard Walch (pictured here), shooting in challenging locations is part of the thrill, but it does mean it's often impossible to go back the next day if something has gone wrong, such as misplacing a storage card. That's why reliable, high-performance image storage is critical for Richard – and for all photographers shooting unrepeatable moments. © Richard Walch
Canon Ambassador Richard Walch knows all about the importance of capturing the moment. He specialises in extreme sports photography, typically shooting fast-moving action in the most demanding conditions in the snow or on the water. He also knows that after getting the shot, the most important thing is bringing it back. For him, photo storage is a critical part of the photo shoot. That's why he is also a member of the SanDisk Extreme Team, a group of photographers recognised by the storage manufacturer for pushing the limits in their genres.
Whether he's shooting snowboarding or sailing, Richard takes image storage very seriously. "It's the backbone of my work," he explains. "If you shoot in a studio and lose the data, it would be dramatic but you could reshoot. The work I do is something you cannot repeat. If I'm out on location and lose the data, how do I say to riders who might have risked their lives, 'Sorry, guys, maybe we can go back tomorrow'?"
Many photographers need to bring back shots of unrepeatable moments, even in less dramatic genres such as wedding, wildlife or documentary photography. So we spoke to Richard and industry experts from Canon and SanDisk to get their best advice on image storage, image transfer and, should you ever need it, photo recovery.