Missed Opportunities - cautionary tale

Drove out to visit friends for dinner this evening, even though there are usually few opportunities for interesting photos, at worst I'd usually have had the GXR with A 16 Module. It was quite cold, so I decided not to bring a camera, just one more thing to carry in & out. Big mistake! Herd of Appaloosa horses in the snow, obstreperous cattle in the road, Snowshoe Rabbits running ahead of the car like Dolphins ahead of a sailboat, and of course the Moon, earlier and in flatter terrain than ours. Captured none of it.

My wife suggested a Must Bring Cameras Rule. I believe I agree, and will comply in future!

Yeah found out my best camera isn't worth much if it is sitting at home. I try to carry one everywhere I go.

 

Rick H.

Nope. Missed opportunities are part of the glorious imperfection that is human life. They should be embraced. :)

 

It would drive me bonkers to think I had to bring a camera along with me all the time for fear of missing a photo. I guess, though, living in San Francisco, I don’t have to worry too much about missing my next opportunity to catch a herd of Appaloosa horses in the fog on my way to a neighbor’s place, lol. I mean, where would they park?

 

Seriously, though, a missed opportunity that still stands out to me happened about 10 years ago, and it was by choice. My dad was about 85 at the time and I went with him to visit a dear old friend of his from the old neighborhood in NY. They were now both living in Florida. Harold, my dad’s friend, was pretty sick at that point but was still able to sit up on his living room chair, next to my dad who was in a wheelchair. Harold had lost much of his ability to speak and was making himself clear by gesturing expressively. They were sitting next to a window with light streaming in elegantly and a canal flowing by just outside in view. I knew it was probably the last time they’d be together. It was a beautiful picture in so many ways. My camera sat in its bag right next to me. I simply couldn’t pick it up. It was like something in the moment wasn’t going to allow me to take a picture. To this day, and my dad is now gone as well, I try not to regret it. And I mostly don’t, because my mind’s-eye memory has a beauty to it that doesn’t need to be “embodied” in a photo. And I let an important moment happen without needing to preserve it or get something beyond the moment out of it. It kind of maintains a purity because of that. It also allows me the luxury of possibly misremembering some of it, which allows it to change over time and that’s fine with me, also kind of human.

 

Sometimes the picture not taken is as important as the one that is.

The little Canon G9X MK2 fits easily in my shirt pocket.

It stays with me these days.

My wife suggested a Must Bring Cameras Rule. I believe I agree, and will comply in future!

 

My ex-wife objected when I insisted on taking a camera with us. I now have no wife. I still have cameras.

My ex-wife objected when I insisted on taking a camera

Guess I just got lucky - 35 years and counting!

37 years here and counting.....And she is in a large percentage of what I took beginning in high school....

My ex-wife objected when I insisted on taking a camera with us. I now have no wife. I still have cameras.

Sorry to hear that, Tony. Now, if only SONY comes up with some new gear that's good at cuddling and pillow talk, you'll be all set! :)

Drove out to visit friends for dinner this evening, even though there are usually few opportunities for interesting photos, at worst I'd usually have had the GXR with A 16 Module. It was quite cold, so I decided not to bring a camera, just one more thing to carry in & out. Big mistake! Herd of Appaloosa horses in the snow, obstreperous cattle in the road, Snowshoe Rabbits running ahead of the car like Dolphins ahead of a sailboat, and of course the Moon, earlier and in flatter terrain than ours. Captured none of it.

My wife suggested a Must Bring Cameras Rule. I believe I agree, and will comply in future!

 

But, since you didn't have the camera, you paid a lot more attention to their live movements and beauty to report back here. I also used to regret in my early days of missed opportunities, but I don't anymore. There are million chances everyday in this ever changing world that are overlooked by me, and if not me, some of them will be captured by someone else. There was a time when I wasn't into photography, and those moments came and went during that time too. No regret.

 

You may not like it, but one solution to the problem of missed opportunities is ... a cell phone. :);):p

You may not like it, but one solution to the problem of missed opportunities is ... a cell phone. :);):p

There actually was a phone in the vehicle. We were many miles from any service, though on checking just now, where there is also no service, I discovered it would have taken some sort of image. The phone was chosen for that function alone, so not anything I would consider a camera, though there are 24 photos I had taken in an "emergency" several years ago, which I had forgotten. The test photo, in good light just now was miserable, but it is an adequate phone, and won't be replaced till it fails. My Kindle Fire will actually take pretty good photos, but hasn't been used for that except as a test. Cameras!

There actually was a phone in the vehicle. We were many miles from any service, though on checking just now, where there is also no service, I discovered it would have taken some sort of image. The phone was chosen for that function alone, so not anything I would consider a camera, though there are 24 photos I had taken in an "emergency" several years ago, which I had forgotten. The test photo, in good light just now was miserable, but it is an adequate phone, and won't be replaced till it fails. My Kindle Fire will actually take pretty good photos, but hasn't been used for that except as a test. Cameras!

 

I think your time was better spent enjoying the beauty of the moment, than fiddling with a phone camera whose image quality would not satisfy you at the end.

Sorry to hear that, Tony. Now, if only SONY comes up with some new gear that's good at cuddling and pillow talk, you'll be all set! :)

 

That would have been nice from my ex-wife, too .. .. ..

 

(All together now - Aaaaaahhhhh !)

"There are no photographs while I'm reloading" - Garry Winogrand

 

In the film days, we learned to reload FAST, and while walking.

We had to plan when to reload, and sometimes sacrificed the remainder of the roll to reload at a convenient time/break in the action.

 

Now we just use a BIG memory card, and keep shooting.

Drove out to visit friends for dinner this evening, even though there are usually few opportunities for interesting photos, at worst I'd usually have had the GXR with A 16 Module. It was quite cold, so I decided not to bring a camera, just one more thing to carry in & out. Big mistake! Herd of Appaloosa horses in the snow, obstreperous cattle in the road, Snowshoe Rabbits running ahead of the car like Dolphins ahead of a sailboat, and of course the Moon, earlier and in flatter terrain than ours. Captured none of it.

My wife suggested a Must Bring Cameras Rule. I believe I agree, and will comply in future!

 

I have a little Canon A3300 P&S for just this reason.

And I still forget to bring it with me :(

In the film days, we learned to reload FAST, and while walking.

We had to plan when to reload, and sometimes sacrificed the remainder of the roll to reload at a convenient time/break in the action.

 

Now we just use a BIG memory card, and keep shooting.

 

Now, the constraint is no longer the film or memory card, it's the battery ... or the finger muscle fatigue, whichever happens first.

Now is the time that Ed Ingold will pop up and tell us that Sony cameras are demonstrably the most warm and friendly and can actually replace wives or a beloved, whereas DSLRs have been proven to make unsuitable partners.

At least you recognized that all those good photo ops were out there. Think of how dull life would be if you never recognized them.

In film days, I used to carry my little Rollei 35 with me when I was traveling, but didn't want to carry the whole, heavy rig.

On two occasions, my big camera packed up and my Rollei became my only camera for a short time. I've posted here on those experiences.

BUT,

When I went digital, I bought a nice Canon P&S, but also went to a smart phone, with the result that the phone became my really always carry image maker.

The P&S remains unused these days.

I know that iPhones and iPADs do very decent photos. And seem to be getting better all the time. But I do not need a smart phone at this time. So all I carried was a Samsung Rugby pre paid flip phone which is small size and does the job on my belt. Always with me. But picture taking is a worthless exercise. The cute Wonder Woman lady a Times was all in for some posing and we had fun, but I could not get a decent image no matter how I played with levels and colors and all that stuff. So I decided to buy a camera the same size as my flip phone and will likely try to remember to carry it on my belt. It has bells and whistles galore. When our car had an unfortunate slam into a short stopped old BMW I was able to document the mishap. Hey man, a camera is worth a gazillion words. Poor BMW, we had just a scratch on the front. Oh, here is the best I could do on that cute heroine with the shield. I like imprompu stuff. Just to share. Rainbows. Flowring shower trees. Sunset that flits behind the mountains. Why not a small camera or a smart phone if you need the functions. Meaning I understand the feeling, Sandy. Actually P and S are becoming almost a big camera substitute, The compression of data on chips and the ingenuity of companies that cater to more than the casual shooter who needs a small carry around gizmo. Mine is called the Lumix ZS 100 a small wonder among similar types coming to market. But phones are becoming de rigeur so I may bite one day too. Edited January 4, 2018 by GerrySiegel

But I do not need a smart phone at this time.

 

Probably very few of us actually NEED a smart phone, per se, but for me the ability to use it for scheduling. for locating and getting directions, and all the other "apps" trump the phone use (mine is often set to "do not disturb", anyhow..)

How does the old joke go, my wife told me she would leave me if i didn't stop (fill in the blank, here photographing), I'm sure gonna miss her. Yes, I try to carry a camera with me most of the time, but even if you do, will you have the right lens? I probably wouldn't carry a camera bag to a friends for dinner and I expect it is so cold, you wouldn't want to leave it in your vehicle. At least the image is burned in your mind.

It's funny how it's always the wife telling you guys these things. Easy solution . . . GET A HUSBAND! :eek: Edited January 5, 2018 by Norma Desmond

My wife suggested a Must Bring Cameras Rule. I believe I agree, and will comply in future!

That can't hurt, even if sometimes you may not see something special. You won't have that regret of no camera when a Kodak moment occurs. Sounds like those would have produced some nice shots.

It's funny how it's always the wife telling you guys these things. Easy solution . . . GET A HUSBAND! :eek:

 

I got her one - now I get some peace, but I doubt if he does.

Probably very few of us actually NEED a smart phone, per se, but for me the ability to use it for scheduling. for locating and getting directions, and all the other "apps" trump the phone use (mine is often set to "do not disturb", anyhow..)

 

I mentioned this to Lex on his FB page and he has just about convinced me that it is great to have a small pocket computer on hand after years of flip phones for him. Lex now has some responsibilities for family that he has to keep abreast of.... I am not a hold out. I will think on it. But meanwhile, the Lumix compact is so great at what it does. Small wonder. I can even see the stuff in the wee finder they provide. My wife carries her iPAD everywhere, so I guess I rely on her calendar. When I traveled I needed a whole lot more. Now I just need a reminder. Milk, sourdough bread, english muffins.