The Dumb Things We Do....... Forgive me Camera Gods

Ok... confession time. Forgive me camera gods for I have sinned.... Today I

forgot all of my CF cards for a very important shoot.

 

Easter bunny session, 9 families, many eager children dressed in their Easter

best.

 

Bunny? Check.

Cameras? Check.

Strobes? Check.

Backdrops and stands? Check.

Batteries? Check.

Paperwork? Check.

 

Get to my location, get all set up...... First client ready to go.... Let me get

CF card in camera..... hmmmm.... CF cards.... OMG! Where are they.... search,

search... Panic sets in....starting to sweat like a pig..... Holy cr*P! No CF cards!

 

Thank you Camera Gods, for providing a Walmart 5 minutes away where I was able

to purchase much needed CF cards..... *sigh*......

Glad it turned out ok and I'm sure this will never happen again. Without the CFs you could have put a Buddhist twist on it by telling the families that your intention was for everybody to live in the moment and nothing, even memories or images, are permanent. Not an easy sell to Catholics celebrating Easter.

 

How many years to a camera with a small hard-drive?

You are forgiven, my child. Go thou and sin no more.

 

I once went out with tripod and Hasselblad to do some fall foliage shots on a beautiful day up in the Blue Ridge. Got to my first set-up and realized I did not bring the tripod quick coupler, and the tripod had a 1/4" screw and the Hasselblad a 3/8" socket.

Went to photograph an air show in PA, and unpacking - oh hell, no tripod. Went home with a

new one.....

Years ago.. I want to say 1982.. took an entire roll of film of a champion horse in 20 below temperatures.. as basis for a fine art painting of the horse.

 

got home.. no film in camera. I was not a pro photographer at the time (not even an amateur photographer.. just took some snap shots so I got the markings right.. ear shape right etc.) and thanked my STARS I had a few shots of the horse provided by the owner.

 

BTW it NEVER happened again, even when I became a pro photographer and started to get paid..

Not photography, rather golf. I had been practicing and forgot to put the driver back in the bag. Went on a 5 day golf trip without it - came back with a new one.

I know...What I do - I have two formatted 2Gb cards which I NEVER use. One of each is buried at the bottom of each of my bags. Just in case.

A few years ago I volunteered to shoot my GF's niece in her first baptism in Spain. I brought my Leica with 50/1.0 Noctilux, as no flash was allowed. I took out the partially exposed 100 speed and put 800 speed in. I take out partially exposed film all the time, marking frame #+1 on the leader. Guess what? Yep, the 800 was partially exposed. You should've seen the face of the grandmother when she saw all those double exposures. I now put a good crimp in partially used film.

Michelle, <BR><BR>

Thank you for sharing this story.<BR><BR>

We have all been there, maybe not in a photo shoot but life in general. I am SO glad you had an OUT and the WALLY world was right around the corner! <BR><BR>You also sound like you have a really good spirit about the whole thing and that is why the probably hired you in the first place! YEAH! ~ micki

In a fit of prolonged distraction I opened the seals of two exposed rolls of 120 film and tried to load them into a film back -- one after another -- and become irritated because they would not fit (huh, manufacturer problem?). These rolls contained pictures of a pretty important shooting and were irreplaceable.

<p>

Years later, I still have to apologize for this. And it was not even completely my fault, because <i>someone</i> didn't mark the rolls with a red magic marker (like I usually do) and didn't take them out of the camera back, where I normally keep a supply of unfrozen and ready film rolls at hand.

...Camera bag, of course.

I'm the photography expert in the family, so I was showing my sister how to set the custom

functions on her digital point & shoot, and I accidently reformatted her card that had all of

her pictures of her first grandchild, including his baptism, on it, and the images existed no

where else. Thank god my son knows way more about electronics and computers than I, and

all images were rescued after 4 nerve-wracking days. I lost 4 pounds of sweat and

embarrassment and gained a huge amount of humility.

I went out with my son on Saturday, with him in charge of my monopod. After we had spent some time in one place taking some shots we moved off. Half a mile further on, he realised he'd left it behind. Fortunately he retreived it. Phew.

 

We are all prone to senior moments, mine was entusting kit to a 13 year old.

I stuffed some lens paper inside the rear of one of my lenses because I didn't have a cap for it. I switched to that lens when taking some difficult access shots in the Smokies, and remembered what I had done only after I had returned to the hotel.

 

I went on a safari in Kenya only to realize that my camera bag was still at the hotel. Fortunately, I had a Leica IIIf and 50mm lens with me and so got a few shots. This did teach me that sometimes it is just as important to view the animals rather than photograph them.

Missed my son's entire h.s. graduation party because I didn't extend the film far enough for the sprockets to advance it.

I shot a birthday party with no film, fortunately I caught on before it was entirely too late!