Protecting Your Camera

Most everyone will lose a camera at one point or another. Adding a photo with your information and then protecting it so it can not be deleted is a great way to greatly increase the chances it will be returned. This step by step is part of the "Losing Things" article.

1. Open up your computer's word processor. If you don't have access to a computer, find a blank sheet of paper and a sharpie marker and do it manually. I'd recommend using a computer because often the legibility of handwriting is in the eye of the beholder.

2. Open up the word processor and maximize it so it takes up the whole screen.

3. Type in your contact info in all caps:

"REWARD FOR RETURN
703-555-1212
TED@YOUREMAIL.COM"

4. Highlight the text and Bump it to size 36.

5. Take a picture of the screen with the flash OFF

6. Turn on the camera to the picture review

7. Select the camera's menu

and look for "Protect" - and select it

if your camera tries to be helpful, select just "select" so you can scroll through the images on your camera for the photo you want to protect.

8. When the reward for return picture comes up, select it.

On Canon Cameras a gold key will appear on the bottom. Sony cameras flash the word "Protected". Other brands usually do something similar.

9. The image is now protected and will remind you if you try to delete it.

The only way to delete it is to go back into the "Protect" menu and re-select the picture to unprotect it (or reformat the memory card.)

In time as you take and delete pictures from the memory card this image will be the first picture that shows up when you (or whoever happens to find your camera) turn on the camera's photo view.

Back to Losing Things...

Copyright Ted Verrill, 2010