# Regrets -- Your One Missed Picture?



## distant.star (Sep 5, 2012)

.
"Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention "

-Frank Sinatra
_My Way_

I just looked at a picture of a saguaro cactus and suddenly realized I never took a picture of one. From 1996 to 1999, I lived in Tucson -- could have stepped out on my balcony anytime and got a picture. Sadly, I wasn't taking pictures during that period. I don't think I took more than one or two rolls of film pictures in those three years.

Anyway, it got me thinking about missed pictures, ones that good, avid photographers might regret having missed. What was a picture that, for one reason or another, you just didn't get -- one you could have but it didn't happen? I don't mean going to the moon and snapping one of Armstrong's footprints. I mean one you probably could have taken, one you missed, one that failed that will never happen again.

Mine may be a saguaro in a desert sunset, maybe up in the purplish light of Sabino Canyon. I'll have to think about it. I don't think I'll ever get back to the Sonoran Desert, so that's a regret.

I'm curious. How about you?


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## DCM1024 (Sep 5, 2012)

This is one on my regrets, and perhaps someone more talented with post could make it better. I had just purchased the T2i, find't realize that it was on auto ISO. I got a noisy 3200, background too dark for the black swans - it could have been lovely.


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## rpt (Sep 5, 2012)

DCM1024 said:


> This is one on my regrets, and perhaps someone more talented with post could make it better. I had just purchased the T2i, find't realize that it was on auto ISO. I got a noisy 3200, background too dark for the black swans - it could have been lovely.


If you crop out the leaves on top, you do have a lovely picture. Just look at the reflection of the swan on the left. May be the t2i does have a creative side


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## CharlieB (Sep 5, 2012)

I regret... well... 

Once upon a time, I traveled to the Florida keys to take some pictures of whatever we could.

Sunrise... and on Big Pine key there was an estuary. You'd think it was the west side of things, but since the road is heading west at that point, it was actually on the east side of things. Great sunup. Oh man, to die for, big round sun, and hoards of wading birds, and roosting birds. I was shooting a Nikon F2 with a 400/5.6, and my buddy was shooting a Bronica S2a with a 150 Nikkor on it.

I told him to wait... I was fiddling, trying to make sure the film was advancing... trying to set up a "Leitz Tiltall" tripod in the semi-mud that we crawled in on, so as not to disturb the birds. Almost ready...

KERRRRAAAAACK!

That S2a went off like an explosion. Those Bronicas were focal plane cameras... loud as hell. No sneaking up on anything with those. He got the shot, I got skunked. Ended up begrudgingly taking a few sunrise pictures, and made sure he got to walk a lot in Key West, carrying that Godawful heavy Bronica, while I had a nice 24/2.8 on my F2.

Dunno if that counts as a missed shot, but... there ya go, from 1977.


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## TAF (Sep 5, 2012)

A missed video, actually.

One of our cats developed a great ability - he would give a massage. Seriously, he would get in there and knead a sore muscle (and he knew which one was sore) like a pro. Both front paws kneading away, with his whole body swaying and pushing to really apply some pressure (quite an impressive amount for an 8 pound fellow). I always wanted to get a video of it...but kept putting it off.

Then he passed.

Since then, when I see something worth photographing or filming, I try to make certain I get it immediately, without delay. 'Cause you never know when time is up.


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## bdunbar79 (Sep 5, 2012)

You can view my missed shots at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bdphotography79/

 8)


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## dirtcastle (Sep 5, 2012)

99% of my shots are "missed" shots!


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## nightbreath (Sep 5, 2012)

A large seagull landed near me with a trophy (a small fish) in its beak. The moment I missed was throwing the fish into its mouth shot in macro. I was so fascinated with other birds in the sky, that I didn't even looked on my girl-friend's reaction to what was happenning ???


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## pakosouthpark (Sep 5, 2012)

well last year for xmas I gave my camera to my little sister so I could upgrade - which I haven't done it yet - I was waiting for 5d mk3 but too expensive when it came out and then when i made my mind to get the mk2 it started rumours of this new entry level FF - so I'm waiting for photokina now..

Anyways in January I was in Paris and stayed with a friend. Her place had the most amazing view over paris, the eiffel tower and some other interesting buildings.. 1 evening there was this AMAZING sunset and I was just wishing to have my camera with me.. might go back to visit her again when i have a new camera just for that shot!!


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## jspiteri (Sep 5, 2012)

Not so much a missed picture but lost pictures.

I spent a month in Peru in my teens, travelling through the amazon rainforest, climbing a 5500m peak in the andes, helping to rejuvenate a school for Quechuan speaking locals of a rural mountain village. All during this time i was backing up my photos to an portable storage device which i then proceeded to naively/stupidly pack into my check in luggage for the flight back...it never came out the other end! Well, that was my lesson learn't. Thankfully I had a fair number of images left on memory cards and photos from those I was travelling with, but i'll never know what my shots were like from the Rainforest, from which none survived.


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## RLPhoto (Sep 5, 2012)

distant.star said:


> .
> "Regrets, I've had a few
> But then again, too few to mention "
> 
> ...



Shouldn't this thread be Sans Photos? :-X


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## DCM1024 (Sep 6, 2012)

RLPhoto said:


> distant.star said:
> 
> 
> > .
> ...



To me, a photo I wanted that went wrong is still a missed shot.


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## pakosouthpark (Sep 6, 2012)

also once i lost a SD card from an underwater camera that i had - really cheap one. 
inside that card I had amazing pictures of reefs in fiji and me swimming with reef sharks! got really close to them. a tourist girl that went with me asked me for the pics so I gave her the card, she returned back and Im pretty sure that I put it back in my bag. but next day wanted to use and couldn't find the bloody card..!

these were pics of once in a lifetime! im not swimming with sharks so soon i believe! neither going to fiji 
so not really a missed shot but a lost memory card


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## zim (Sep 6, 2012)

Oh that’s easy!
On holiday in Sorrento, and out of one of those really narrow streets came what looked like the oldest guy in the world pushing a vespa it looked like it was killing him. The composition was perfect and the crowd seemed to part to allow a perfect framing. My daughter had the (shared) camera, didn’t see the picture then it was gone, lost in the crowd. Ah well not the end of the world but lesson learnt – shared camera not a good idea!! :

And on a different type of lost on honeymoon many years ago got my camera stolen when we were at a dinner dance. My wife was wearing a fabulous dress she looked stunning – all pictures gone. She never wore the dress again. 

Thanks distant for reawakening the memories I’m all sad now! :'(


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## paul13walnut5 (Sep 6, 2012)

I wish there were more pics of me with my grandparents, but money wasn't abundant in the west of Scotland in the early 80s and film and printing wasn't cheap.

Moral, that cliff in your sunset will be there in 10'000 years, take more photos of and with the people you love.


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## PhotoBadger (Sep 6, 2012)

Ha! More than I care to think about. 

Probably the best was on holiday in Barbados - we had monkeys visit the hotel every dawn to steal mangoes from trees around the pool. So I was up & waiting, and the gang came along including some young. 

After a while they had their fill and started to move off, and a great big mango fell out of the tree beside me. So I picked it up and tossed it to one of the young in the hopes they'd stick around. Then I turned (still don't know why) and right next to me, hanging upside down with teeth bared and paws grasping was Dadmonkey, extremely hacked off that I just nicked his prize mango.

Did I get the shot? Did I hell. I backed away screaming quietly and firing the flash in the hopes of scaring him off. And then I changed my trousers.


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## drolo61 (Sep 6, 2012)

Traveling on Java in the late '80s in a small village
Two boys, around 6 years old, stood behind a picket fence.
One of them held a kitten by the neck fur trough the fence.
Boys behiind fence, kitten in front of the fence.
As soon as they noticed me, they stood stone faced and posed for the picture.
Unfortunately I had a 200mm mounted, so I got a nice portrait of the boys.
To go for the kitten, that still stroggeld to get free, I took down the camera.
The spell broken, they let go of the kiten and ran away laughing,
and I misse dthe shot.
Still today, when I see that picture, the kitten is always in...

And for (almost) lost shots
From that travel I returned with about 30 roll of film, and after processing and reviewing I found that kitten shot missing. 
I searched all luggage carefully and retained that one missing roll, that at least provided the lasting memory of the little cat.


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## distant.star (Sep 6, 2012)

paul13walnut5 said:


> I wish there were more pics of me with my grandparents, but money wasn't abundant in the west of Scotland in the early 80s and film and printing wasn't cheap.
> 
> Moral, that cliff in your sunset will be there in 10'000 years, take more photos of and with the people you love.



Amen, brother!

If you were to take away every picture I ever made, the last one I'd give up would be one I took of the family in July, 1967 just before I went to Vietnam. There is nothing to recommend it photographically/artistically, but it's the best picture I ever took.


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## pakosouthpark (Sep 7, 2012)

paul13walnut5 said:


> Moral, that cliff in your sunset will be there in 10'000 years, take more photos of and with the people you love.



this is indeed very true


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## skinkfoot (Sep 7, 2012)

I was setting up for taking some barn swallow pictures beside a bridge, tripod was setup camera in hand, when I heard quite a commotion, I looked up and a peregrin falcon had taken out a barn swallow and all the other swallows where dive bombing the falcon, the falcon and victim passed 15 feet infront of me, I started firing, nothing happened until 10 seconds later, I previously was shooting landscape without shutter release and didn't change it before I put the camera away, IDIOT!


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## Jotho (Sep 7, 2012)

distant.star said:


> paul13walnut5 said:
> 
> 
> > I wish there were more pics of me with my grandparents, but money wasn't abundant in the west of Scotland in the early 80s and film and printing wasn't cheap.
> ...



Im currently in Vietnam. I missed a great shot the other day up outside A Luoi going back from Hamburger Hill. The sun came 
out through the clouds over the valley. But I was soaked and my 24-105 had given up as it was also soaked. I did stop the motorbike and enjoyed the moment so I guess I have the image in my head instead.


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