Always be prepared...

[HGB57]

Background:
After a particular incident, I vowed NEVER to be without a camera.
I started with a compact digital.
Now I normally travel with my E3/12-60 on the back seat under a cushion and my (open) bag on the floor behind my seat with either 50-200 or 70-300 attached to the E520 sitting at the top with the unused lens and flash gun alongside.

Today:
Because it was raining so hard, and I was 'only' collecting my grand daughter from school (party), the E520 stayed at home, the E3/12-60 was at the top of the bag, and the bag fully zipped CLOSED.

We arrived at her house.
The rain stopped.
We chatted.
A big bird blasted at high speed between the houses.
It crashed into the middle of the road just in front of the car amid a mass of feathers. So close that the 12-60 would be perfect.
Reach for camera...not on back seat.
Oh poor pidgeon !!.
Search for camera...
er....no....poor TWO pidgeons
Ah yes, camera is in the bag today....
Er..no...that's one pidgeon and....
Reach for bag behind seat....fumble....
That's a pidgeon and a.....
fumble, fumble..curses...where is that zip?
That's not a pidgeon looking at me...
Out of the car, tilt seat forward, reach for bag....
It's STILL looking at me with it's head on one side saying "well get a move on then...."
Found the zip....
open the zip...
pulling camera out.....
"Too late, I've had enough of this, now DINNER TIME...woops now look what you made me do "
The camera was STILL halfway out when the pidgeon made a dash for it and the Sparrow Hawk tried to catch it again....but failed.....

...and I was left looking at a pile of feathers in the middle of the road....too disgusted with myself even to take a shot of the feathers blowing away.....the shot of a lifetime missed...

Have you ever been in a similar situation?

[EH1]

Re: Always be prepared...

First of all welcome to the forum! I think missing `that`shot has probably happend to all photographers at some point, it has certainly happend to me on several occasions, especially back in the days when I was a photo-journalist, when not only was it annoying to miss a shot but costly too!

[Jonesgj]

Re: Always be prepared...

Um. Sort-of...

I work in a small office at the back of my house. behind me is a large window looking out at the trees in our garden.

Being close to a wood, we are blessed with all sorts of wildlife. Some exotic and some not so.

My day is spent, more often than not, on the phone - I suffer "Death by Conference Call". A modern-day homeworkers affliction.

While I am on calls which do not require me to be looking at live meeting on the PC, I usually swirl around on my chair to admire the beautiful outside world. This where things usually get frustrating.

As I look out I see sparrows, Magpies, Robins, Woodpeckers, Tits, Finches, Starlings, butterflies, damselfiles, dragonflies, birds of paradise .... you get the picture? Well I never do.

As soon as I reach for the camera, they're gone. Plenty of branches swinging gently and maybe the odd feather fluttering down. but nothing waits around.

Worse .... I wont tell you which room I was 'in' when a deer came visiting our garden.

[Ellie]

Re: Always be prepared...

Have you ever been in a similar situation?

No, but I almost wish I had.

I have though, missed shots because I didn't have the camera on the right settings or the wrong lens on the front.

As soon as I reach for the camera, they're gone.

In the winter I put the camera on tripod by the window, hopefully pointing vaguely in the right direction of the bird table ... just in case something interesting comes along.