The lost shots

taffer · 07-30-2004

This happened me this afternoon, after leaving from work but it has happened me lots of times and also think (and hope) I'm not the only one...

While walking by the street I've been assaulted by... another abandoned bottle !

A cava one to be exact.

Ok so I repositioned it in a more or less 'accidental' way, framed, focused (after forgetting to do so first, hehe) and took some shots with the bottle in the foreground and the tram passing by on the background, ok.

So then I take some steps back, thinking that something was missing, something extra.

And just then, a guy passes by with his bicycle, and then I've seen it. It WAS what I was looking for, the bottle and the bicycle guy cycling by !!!!

But when I realized, it was already gone

Arg !

Ok I know the value of the shot is questionable anyway

and I took some more shots after that, but anyway, I've been so %&$(")" as to lose that picture in my own nose.

So, do you remember a lost shot that somehow you really regret losing ?

CleverName · 07-30-2004

On vacation recently, I saw a beautiful sunset. A sail boat was slowly drifting past just as the sun started to dip into the sea. I remember thinking, "wow, that would be a great picture". As I stood on the beach, I even thought how I would bracket the shots to try and get just the silhouette of the boat, how I might try a few with the horizon in different places, maybe a vertical shot to get all the sunset's reflections, ect., ect.

The boat slowly left the frame, and I just stood there...with my fully loaded Canonet hanging around my neck. Somehow, it never occured to me to actually take the picture!

rover · 07-30-2004

Every morning I drive along the shore around the New Haven harbor and past a cove. There are boats moored in the cove and a very nice walkway and park above a sea wall. At the end of the park area closest to the marinas there is a small rock jetty. All very picturesque. Occationally a seagull is standing on the end of the jetty adding a strong foreground element to the scene. One day least week a little after 7 am driving by before my first cup of coffee, I looked out into the cove to see a heron posed on the jetty fishing.

No camera that day.

Peter · 07-30-2004

The one that got away stories! I guess every photogs has one and here is mine. I was with my friend taking pictures on this off shore island of Singapore called Pulau Ubin. We were walking along the main path and this bunch of ultra cute Japanese school girls riding bicycles appoached us for directions. We gave them the information, they thanked us and rode off. My friend and I just stood there with our cameras around our necks. When we realised that we missed a good photo opportunity, we all collectively slapped our foreheads! I'm so stupid!!!!

Brian Sweeney · 07-30-2004

Yes, Many missed shots. I usually take a camera or two with me on most outings, and always have a couple loaded at home. No Nikki-Cam. You have to draw the line somewhere. David Letterman can get away with it, but not me.

back alley · 07-30-2004

ok, now you may not believe this but i swear it's 100% true.

years ago, i used to work on saturdays in a camera store. the store opened at 9 am but some of the staff had to be in at 8 to get the place ready and ship shape.
one saturday morning we were all cleaning up when one of the guys yells for us to come over to the store's front window. "you gotta see this" he said.
well we all go over and across the street is this very tall, very thin man walking down the street - completely naked! he must have been almost 7 feet tall and he was completely naked. he was walking at a regular pace as if nothing was out of the ordinary. we all watched him as he walked down the block and then out of view.

almost all at the same time we looked at each other and then looked at the row of display/demo cameras and realized that not one of us had even thought to take a picture.

total truth!!!

joe

wlewisiii · 07-30-2004

Last night I was driving the babysitter home and she noticed a glorious sunset over Lake Mendota. Full round sun just sliding below the horizon and I even had color film in the GSN (first roll to test that). Stopped the car, jumped out and got a couple of shots. Wasn't until I was driving home a while later that I realized I should have taken a shot of it through the car door window with her face on one side and the window frame on the other bracketing the sun... Argh!

William

RML · 07-30-2004

Just yesterday! Walking back from work. Sun shining, light breeze making the leafs russle on the trees and shrubs along this "countryside" road. Time was around 5pm, so time for people to go home, on bicycle.

Three young and pretty girls, perhaps 15-16 years old, cycling back home from sunbathing all day, chattering away to eachother, dressed brightly coloured in fluttering skirts and spaghetti string tops, blond hair flowing in the wind, fake but sparkling jewelry everywhere.
The scene was perfect. The composition was perfect. I even had my CL loaded and preset in my hands. Things captivated me too much, I guess, because I didn't take the shot. Worse, I didn't even lift the camera! Only when they were too far away, the compo spoilt, and the scene had gone uninteresting did I realise that there had been a once-in-a-sometimes shot and that I just forgot to grab it.

Sometimes it is right there in front of you and you pass it by or let it slip. I let it slip there and then.

Rich Silfver · 07-30-2004

Too many lost shots to both remember and to mention...

The most recent one was actually this evening driving across the Bay Bridge (Oakland->San Francisco). It was very overcast, cloudy and dull around 6:30pm..but out over the water..just above Alcatraz had the sun found an opening in the clouds and perfect beams came shining through illuminating the place - it was an amazing lightshow and a scene I've never seen out there.

taffer · 07-31-2004

Thanks for sharing your 'bad' experiences gents! I see we all feel the same

when that happens... And there are so really good stories so glad I started this thread

However, somehow we use to remember these shots even a long time after they were gone. I once read about a Spanish photographer, who while visiting Beijing took note of every scene she couldn't photograph.