All pictures/videos ever taken with my iPad are missing

Question

I have the newest version of iPad (purchased in June).  Recently my camera app was not working (it's the third time it's happened since I got my iPad) so I reset my iPad without erasing media/content, because that's the only thing I've found that will make the app start working again. 
Anyhow, when I tried to sync using my most recent iClouds backup, every picture and video I've ever taken with my iPad was gone.  All music and other photos (from my computer to iPad) synced just fine, but my iPad acts as if I've never taken a picture or video using "Camera," "Photo Booth," or "Instagram" and the pictures I created as wallpaper using the "Granimator" app are no longer there either except for the one I currently had/have as wallpaper.  When I go to try and change my wallpaper though, the picture I currently have is not available as a picture option, so I don't know why it's still my wallpaper.  I had some of the pictures I had taken with my iPad backed up in iPhoto on my computer, but even those don't automatically sync now.  In fact, whereas iPhoto used to automatically open (along with iTunes) when I plugged my iPad into my computer, it doesn't open at all automatically.  It did the first couple of times I tried (post reset) but it only ever came up with dotted outlines of where some pictures and videos on my iPad should have been, and would never retrieve the images so I could save them on my computer.
What the heck happened?  I never deleted the photos, and the odd dotted outlines that used to appear in iPhoto post reset make me think that my data is somewhere floating around.  After one sync, I even had two images "reappear" in my iPad photostream (two of the videos that aren't there now) but when I tried to open them, I got a message saying that the "URL" could not be read.  I even reset with an iCloud backup from a few days before I initially reset, and the pictures/videos did not return.
I'm hesitant to take any pictures or videos now with my iPad and that really upsets me.  Can I figure out where those pictures and videos disappeared to?
Please let me know too if you know if this is an iPad, iCloud, or camera issue.  Normally, I would set up an appointment to go into an Apple store, but I'm living in Thailand and I know I won't find someone that speaks enough English well enough to help me with my problem, and I certainly can't explain my exact issue in Thai.
Thanks...

Answer 1

First double click the home button and swipe to close any open apps. Next reset, press and hold the home and power buttons for 10-15 seconds till the Apple logo appears. Release both buttons. Wait 15-20 seconds till your iPad starts on it's own. Try taking a photo.