New photo upload missing after I updated to iPhoto 11

Question

Hi and Help!
I was prompted to update to iPhoto 11 on the weekend (don't know why now particularly, I'm in iPhoto all the time). So I followed the instructions, library updated, all existing events and albums are there. I uploaded some more pictures and created a few new albums and did some new year spring cleaning, moving stuff around etc. And I started making a calendar.
I've opened it up today, my calendar project is still there as are all the new events, but the pictures are empty outlines. If I open up a picture I just get a large exclamation mark "!" but I can still see the thumbnails showing in the slider in the bottom - I don't know if that means the source files must still be there somewhere, or if it just means it captured thumbnails yesterday.
I've gone into the folders via "show package contents" and there just don't seem to be any masters for an upload this weekend. I also had a look in the last import folder. As I scrolled down through the folder the images were there and literally disappeared in front of me - by which I mean, the thumbnails were there as I scrolled down and then would turn into empty outlines...!
All my old folders are still there, thankfully (although they're of course the ones that are also all safely back up).
Because I don't have the cable for my camera, I uploaded them through a card-reader, I don't know if that may affect their date-stamp (and so therefore where to find them in package contents route). I've uploaded previously this way though, and it hasn't been issue regarding losing the images.
Although I have a timecapsule, my photo library is too big to keep on my hard drive, so I keep it on an external drive - meaning it only gets backed up when I do it manually (thanks Apple for that, I will never understand why it was designed to work - or not work - that way). So if the pictures have been lost then they are gone for good which is horrible (I just got back from South Korea and was in the middle of sorting out all my shots from that trip).  Plus there was stuff on the camera dating back to the summer.
It seems that this can only have happened because of the update - I should have known better than to have pressed yes.
I'm on a macbook pro and using OSX Lion.
If you have any suggestions, I'd be most grateful!
Regards
R

Answer 1

Hi,
ok - on the many other back up solutions available front: I guess I have bought into the Apple 'plug n play' 'it all works seamlessly' dream. I have twice been sold supposed total solutions - in 2009, on the advice of a Miami Apple store, upgrading my old macbook pro's OSX to I think snow leopard, specifically to get time machine, and buying a La Cie 1TB external drive and WD 0.5TB portable external, to work with the airport extreme I had at home....
then, after my iTunes armageddon last year, when I was unable to resolve it through several very long Apple-care calls, I went into the Genius bar at the Shanghai store, where I now live, and left with a partial recovery...and a new 2TB time capsule, 1TB La Cie external drive, and the Lion OSX. To go with my current macbook pro. So, having invested significantly in Apple's solutions, I'm looking to them to work rather than replace them with something else when I don't know if they'll be any better. People who are supposed to know have told me that it couldn't sweep from peripherals, so I've taken their word for it. Does that make me a mug? Very probably.
Re format:
1) La Cie -
Kind: volume
Format: exFAT
Capacity: 1TB
Available: 400.55 GB
Sharing & permissions: I can read and write
2) Time Capsule - when I click on 'get info' I don't get very much info, just:
Kind: time capsule