The one that got away.

[steveatesh]

I thought I'd have a try at the supermoon this evening so duly got my tripod and camera set up around 10pm in the back garden. The moon was bright and there was light cloud floating past.

I set up the camera as best I could and had to wait while a cloud blew clear of the moon. While waiting in the near dark of my back garden I noticed the flick of something large out of the corner of my eye. I turned and saw a magnificent owl performing acrobatics over the field right next to me, and very close, around ten foot.

It virtually stopped before dropping and then dissapeared from view. Meanwhile I was so transfixed with this display I didn't even thnk of the camera right next to me!

Doubt I'll ever get to see anything, like that again and when I did my brain just went into full stop mode as far as taking pictures went.

Anybody else had anything present itself only to miss it completely?

[Simpo Two]

Don't worry, I doubt you'd have got much in the way of useable photos of an owl doing (aero)batics and night - better to enjoy and remember the show

[GetCarter]

steveatesh said:

Anybody else had anything present itself only to miss it completely?

I passesd a police car that had driven into a lamp post... steam coming from the front, a policeman out of the car, hat in one hand, scratching his head with the other. Would have made a fab pic - but I was driving and he wasn't in the best of moods.

[jimmy156]

I wouldn't beat yourself up OP, as a poster above said i don't think you would have got anything useable. Brilliant thing to see though!

I was once driving past stonehenge as the sun was rising and there was a Barn Owl perched on a fencepost in front of it all. Would have made a beautiful photo!

In the opposite of 'the one that got away' I happened to be in the right place, at he right time, with the right lens and good light when a stoat hunted, chased and killed a rabbit just feet from where i was stood.


IMG_8976 by jimmyb156, on Flickr



IMG_9012 by jimmyb156, on Flickr

They won't win an awards for photographic aesthetics, but i am bloody pleased to have got the shots.

[RobbieKB]

I think I started a similar thread a couple of years back.

I've had 3 missed shots that haunt me.

1) In my girlfriend's garden a sparrow hawk came out of nowhere and murdered another bird. Might sound a bit dull but the way in which it happened was incredible.

2) Driving home in Spring through the country and a very bright rainbow formed in the distance and it looked to end in a golden rapeseed field like a pot of gold. I was extra gutted at this one.

3) Driving through a forest at 6am in the winter and it was snowy, misty and the sun rising turned everything gold; it looked like Narnia.

Now I take my camera everywhere.

Edited by RobbieKB on Tuesday 12th August 11:27

[tim-b]

RobbieKB said:

...

Now I take my camera everywhere.

what I call the curse of the photographer; once into photography you have a choice of seeing life through a viewfinder or putting the camera down and then kicking yourself for all those missed shots...it's impossible to relax!

[RobbieKB]

tim-b said:

RobbieKB said:

...

Now I take my camera everywhere.

what I call the curse of the photographer; once into photography you have a choice of seeing life through a viewfinder or putting the camera down and then kicking yourself for all those missed shots...it's impossible to relax!

It's horrible and awesome in equal measure isn't it! The amount of times I've lugged my camera around for hours and hours without even taking it out of the bag. My missus always tells me to just leave it at home but she doesn't understand. It's like picking the same lottery numbers every week; I'm locked in now and there's nothing I can do about it.

[GetCarter]

RobbieKB said:

It's horrible and awesome in equal measure isn't it! The amount of times I've lugged my camera around for hours and hours without even taking it out of the bag. My missus always tells me to just leave it at home but she doesn't understand. It's like picking the same lottery numbers every week; I'm locked in now and there's nothing I can do about it.

Sony RX100

[steveatesh]

RobbieKB said:

It's horrible and awesome in equal measure isn't it! The amount of times I've lugged my camera around for hours and hours without even taking it out of the bag. My missus always tells me to just leave it at home but she doesn't understand. It's like picking the same lottery numbers every week; I'm locked in now and there's nothing I can do about it.

Snap, my mrs hates me picking up the camera and refuses to be seen with me if I have the temerity to take the tripod too

And my son simply refuses to hold reflectors in a public place, can't for the life of me think why

On a serious note I think you all may be right, I probably wouldn't have got a good picture of the owl, it's difficult enough when I plan them let alone spontaneous shots. Pleased it's not just me that misses stuff though!

[Thunderace]

First time I ever went in a sea kayak. We'd been paddling a couple of hours and turned around to go back to the start point. As we did so we were caught by a pod of killer whales going in our new direction. Surrounded by about 30-40 of them all around us, bulls, mums, babies. Some were close enough to poke with a paddle had we been inclined to do so. We floated/paddled with them for 10 minutes or so then they were gone, will never forget it. It persuaded me to buy a waterproof camera that I always take now.