The Blog

One day my Drobo stopped appearing on my iMac desktop. Tried the usual restart and troubleshooting methods but it would not mount on the desktop. I then tried the disk utility in OSX. It told me that the disk lacked a directory and needed to be formatted. I then checked the Drobo dashboard app and it did show the drive as healthy. Everything looked good until I noticed that the drive showed as unformatted!

Thats right! The Drobo somehow lost its directory and formatting. I contacted Drobo and   they said they could send me a new device but I was out of warranty. They suggested I try Data Rescue 3 (http://www.prosofteng.com/products/data_rescue.php)to try and recover the files. I had about 2.5 TB worth of images in the device. It took 8 days running in the background to recover the files. The files were mostly recovered but the Lightroom catalogues were lost. That means all me edited files were gone. Just the raws remained. So I recovered most (not all) of my files but they were recovered by file types not by date created. This means I had a jumbled mess to try and organize. Still in the process of doing this and no end in sight. 

I then tried another program Disk Warrior that restores directories. I figured if I could restore the directory the files would magically reappear. No such luck it seems. It did not work so I contacted their tech support. They were very helpful and accessed my computer to try and see what they could do. After trying several things the tech said that the directory was gone! No data where it should have been. He said that he had seen this happen a few times after the new OS upgrade. Two of my 4 drives in the Drobo are Western Digital. WD drives are loaded with a low level disc utility that was incompatible with the new OSX Mavericks update. WD’s SmartWare or Drive Utility software is what they are called. Here is a link to a thread: https://discussions.apple.com/message/23842960#23842960.

This caused the utility to erase the directory on the two WD drives the first time I shut down the iMac. Despite Drobo being redundant it does not write two directories. If the directory goes you have a big black brick with all your photos but no way to access them other then with recovery software. And even then you loose your Lightroom .cat files. 

WD has admitted fault with their drive: http://community.wd.com/t5/News-Announcements/External-Drives-for-Mac-Experiencing-Data-Loss-with-Maverick-OS/m-p/613777.

Basically here is what WD stated and what happened to my “safe” Drobo:

On October 30th, 2013 Western Digital informed registered customers of affected products via E-mail regarding reports of Western Digital and other external HDD products experiencing data loss when updating to OS X Mavericks (10.9).  Our investigation to date has found that for a small percentage of customers that have the WD Drive Manager, WD Raid Manager and/or WD SmartWare software applications installed on their Mac, there can be cases of a repartition and reformat of their Direct Attached Storage (DAS) devices without customer acknowledgement which can result in data loss.  

Drobo is a great device. I got it because I knew my data would be safe without having an additional back up. I figured that if the Drobo unit failed I would get another one and put my drives in it. It does work that way! If a drive fails then I just replace the bad drive. Only time I thought I ran the risk of loosing data was if two drives failed at the same time. How unlikely was that? Almost impossible right? Well that’s exactly what happened. They did not fail mechanically but because WD software was incompatible with the OSX Mavericks upgrade. The software erased drives directory without even a prompt to do so. Who is to blame here? Well I should have had another back up drive. WD should have checked compatibility with Mavericks and Drobo should offer up a warning if it’s directory is being rewritten. 

Johnny is one of those people that you just like right after you meet him. He has a great sense of humor and is a pleasure to be around. Being a firefighter, we relate to each other. Daisy is his true love. If there is such a thing as a soul mate she is that and more to Johnny. She is sweet, kind and a beautiful woman. Together they compliment each other fully.

It was my pleasure to be able to photograph their wedding at Plantation Preserve Golf and Country Club this past saturday. It was an emotional and beautiful ceremony. Here are a few photos of their wonderful event.

This is the second time I photograph Paola. We did a theme session last year at Academy of Glam.  They are a wonderful hair and make up school located in Davie, Florida. The theme was “candy” and we had a blast! I liked her photo so much that I  used it to enter a competition. It did not win but it got a lot of praise so I am glad to have taken part in it. It currently hangs on a frame in the studio office.

This time around she came in for a Glamour session. We did this session at my photography studio in Pembroke Pines. It was a really good session because everything just flowed. She was comfortable in front of the camera and was very easy to pose. We got some of her favorite music playing on the stereo and had about an hour long session. The pictures we got were amazing and I wanted to share them here. Enjoy…

I have always marveled at the Renaissance artist. Names like Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni and Giovanni Bellini were, in my opinion, the first masters of light and shadows. They realized that at the junction of light and dark is where our eye is drawn. They created works of art with dimension, feeling and drama.

For some time I had an idea for a shoot that I wanted to do. It was a tribute to the masters. But more then that it was a personal artistic vision I had in my head. The idea was to create an image that has light bathing the figure of a reclining woman. I did not want to do a sexy shot or a boudoir image. I wanted it to be beautiful, artistic and very tasteful. I drew inspiration from the paintings I had seen. The ultimate intent was to create a large canvas for the Pembroke Pines photography studio. It is  going to be a display of the type of images offered at the studio.

The set was an artist studio. Easel, paints, brushes and canvas set the tone for the model. Like in the masters studio, light was directional and served to define the edges of the subject. The model was wrapped in a sheer fabric and her pose was dramatic. A soft bathing light sweeps from left to right. I hope you enjoy the photograph as much as I did creating it. I am looking forward to working with other clients to create even more images like this.

Raphael portrait studio is offering creative images like this as an alternative to the traditional portrait. Think about how cool it would be to have a work of art in your home. With you as the model! Bring me your idea for a shoot and I will create it for you! For more information contact the studio.

Oh I  almost forgot! This is the image I will be putting up in the photography studio. At 60 inches wide it is almost life size!

Eli is my best friends lady. She had wanted photos for some time. What better time then after the grand opening of Raphael Portrait Studio in Pembroke Pines. So we set a date and she came in.

She had her hair and make up done by a professional right in the studio.  She sipped on wine and hors d’ oeuvre’s  and had a great time as she was transformed. She was a very easy to photograph and we had a blast. My best friend has a very genuine love for the Dallas Cowboys so Eli wanted to surprise him with a few pictures of her in all out Cowboy wear. Right down to the football!

I really enjoy making women look their best. With Eli it was easy!  I did not have to work very hard at all.

Weather it be with posing secretes or a little post production work in Photoshop. It’s all good as long as you look good. And more importantly as long as you look like yourself. I know way too many pros that have a very heavy hand with post processing images. The ladies look like porcelain dolls and that’s not cool. I spend a lot of time after I shoot editing the images so that skin looks like skin and my clients look like themselves–only gorgeous!

I think the Cowboys should make a big poster of this shot and put it on the way out to the field! It might give them inspiration to win one for Eli!

I can’t wait for you to come in to the studio and experieance the most unique women’s portrait studio in the area. I am so sure you will love the experience and tell your friends that for a limited time I will be offering a voucher for two. I am doing this to create awareness and to spread the word.

You will get a initial consult followed by a professional hair and make up session. A glass of wine or two to set the relaxed mood. Then you will have a private photo session and one together with whoever you choose to bring along. Bring your girlfriend, your sister, your mother or your daughter. It’s up to you. You both will have great pictures both alone and together. No matter who you bring,  you will have an amazing experience together being pampered. Oh and no stress or worry about how you will come out. You will look amazing! That’s the whole point of the studio.

Mention the gift voucher when you schedule your appointment. Call the studio at 305-457-3100 or send us an email and we will call you and set it up.

I get a lot of questions about what exactly a glamour photo shoot entails. Glamour by definition is allure and beauty.

In the context of the studio session it is a broad style of photography style. It can vary from fashionable beauty to boudoir and tasteful nude. It really depends on the clients comfort level and goals for the session. At our Pembroke Pines studio we work with you to provide the ultimate experience. This includes a consultation apron arriving to assure your vision is met.

Our in house hair and make up artist will work with you to transform you into a star. They know how to style hair and apply the right amount of make up in order to enhance your best features.

For more information or for an appointment please contact the studio through our contact page.

In the fast paced world we find ourselves in paying attention to details seems time consuming. Yet when you walk into a place that has done a good job of this you notice it. When I set out to design my studio I wanted to give it as much detail as my budget would allow. There is a consistency as you go from one area to another that ties the space together. The selection of colors and textures were designed to create an elegant yet casual creative canvas for the mind. I did not want  specifics but rather open potential in the space. I think this lends itself to creativity and variety.

A collection of camera’s offer’s a  hint of the function of the space. An open plan allows your eyes to wonder across the area creating an spacious feeling. North facing natural light gives a soft illumination to the space creating little need for artificial lighting. A large open shooting area upstairs separates the office area from the creative area. This creates a sense of privacy from the public area. It  has north facing clear story windows with a high ceiling casting great natural light. The walls and ceiling are white. So are the curtains dividing the space in half for more intimate shots. The photography potential is only limited by the imagination.

I invite you to drop by and take a look at the studio. Call for an appointment and pamper yourself with a professional hair and make up artist, a glass of wine and a glamorous portrait session.

Welcome to Raphael Fine Portrait Photography! We have created unique environment for you to enjoy while we capture your beauty. The name and studio are new. The experience and quality of our work are established. Treat yourself and your sister, girlfriend, mother or daughter to a fabulous makeover and photo session. We will have you telling your friends and coming back for more.

Take a look at some shots  of our fully equipped portrait studio in Pembroke Pines, FL. For more information and to schedule an appointment please call 305-457-3100 or email us at mail@raphaelportraits.com