Tell us about your "missed opportunity"

[SteveBrown]

I had one today. Wish I had my camera. Me and my kid went to Costco and she asked me if I had ever been behind the building. (I paved the entire parking lot, I work construction) I told her I had and she insisted on seeing what was back there.

So as the guy I am, I took her back there. There was a guy in a brand new Dodge Challenger showing off for some people doing burnouts and doughnuts.

Apparently he had been there for quite some time. And the police showed up, and gave him a ticket. Not that I am laughing at his misfortune, but I wish I could of caught the photos of the tire burning, and then the 2 patrol cars with their lights on, and him actually signing the ticket book.

I have my old Nikon coolpix in the truck now, for such opportunities. :lol:

[Jim G]

That's a pretty good missed opportunity... I began taking my camera just about everywhere after the first few "Oh, man, that's a BEAUTIFUL sunset.. but I don't have my camera!" moments. It's gotten a heck of a lot of photos I'd otherwise have missed... and resulted in quite a few times where I've hauled its huge bulk around for no reason.

I have got to get me a smaller P&S someday for that :p

[FlyingPhotog]

Just had one tonight...

We had arguably one of the most impressive lightning displays seen in the greater Phoenix area in many years. There was a really nice sunset to go along with it and it came marching up the valley in the perfect manner to shoot too.

No rain (for quite a while .. then in buckets), very large bolts with well defined terrain along the horizon.

No camera. :(

[watchtherocks]

There were two professional surfers in the water at a world class wave down the road but I only found out later as I had decided to go shoot some friends at some crappy small break.
Wasn't happy:D

[AndreaBFS]

I used to leave my camera at home when doing mundane things where I'd just have to leave it in the car anyway... you know, like the grocery store.

Can you imagine how much I stomped around like a little baby when my car actually burst into flames as I was leaving the grocery store? I could not believe I missed those shots! Now it goes with me even if I'm just making a diet Coke run to McD's. :lol:

[SOK]

I had 8 of them last week...

I was out in central Queensland (AKA; out in the bush in the middle of nowhere) for work all last week. Normally it'd be a great place to take a camera, but the aircraft we travel in has very limited baggage allowances, and the work gear comes first.

Anyway, for 4 days in a row I witnessed the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets. 8 in total, each better than the last. I was so frustrated that one morning I even attempted a snapshot with my phone's camera (needless to say the result just upset me more...)

In the end I had to try to forget that it was a missed opportunity and just enjoy them as they unfolded!

[Dan-o]

Every time I don't have my camera with me.

[SteveBrown]

Every time I don't have my camera with me.

That pretty much sums it up. :lol:

[ShotByTom]

I was at the Indy 500 and walking around the garage area. one of the drivers had just come in after a crash and I was taking pictures of his crew working on his car. I had just switched to manual to get a better exposure inside the dark garage. While I was shooting inside, Danica Patrick quickly pulled up right behind me and started shouting at someone in the garage, then quickly pulled away. While she was shouting into the garage I turned and fired off about 15 shots of her. As she pulled away I looked at one of the shots and realized I didn't change any settings and all of the shots were bright white with NO detail at all!

[Maxxum5]

I used to leave my camera at home when doing mundane things where I'd just have to leave it in the car anyway... you know, like the grocery store.

Can you imagine how much I stomped around like a little baby when my car actually burst into flames as I was leaving the grocery store? I could not believe I missed those shots! Now it goes with me even if I'm just making a diet Coke run to McD's. :lol:


"Diet coke run at McDonald's"????:lol::lol::lol:

Please, tell me the address so I can hide with my camera and photograph what you REALLY get! Hahahahaha.....

[hawkeye60]

Flying into Cairo from Tel Aviv in June. We flew directly over the pyramids at low altitude on our final descent. Camera was my in backpack in the overhead compartment.

[Mr_J]

A few days ago on the way to getting on the train I saw a cabby in the playing the saxaphone inside his cab in the morning light...damn, curse myself for not having my camera.

[AndreaBFS]

"Diet coke run at McDonald's"????:lol::lol::lol:

Please, tell me the address so I can hide with my camera and photograph what you REALLY get! Hahahahaha.....

Sometimes a couple happy meals for the kids, but if I order food for me, they actually call attention to it because I'm just the large diet coke girl. That's so embarrassing that it makes me never want to get food there. We do go there at least once or twice a day for my diet coke, though. It's better than crack and booze as far as addictions go. Right? :lol:

[Johan Groenewald]

I was invited to take photos with American Chopper when they visited South Africa a few months ago. I had my camera, lenses, everything but then .....it rained out.

[birdfromboat]

I have heard that a pro photog was standing directly behind reagans limo when hinckly took the shots at him, but he missed it cuz he was changing lenses. probably one of the top ten missed shots in the history of shots. I think about that poor guy every time I miss the keeper and get the after the action, feathers in the air shot. No second chances.

[SteveBrown]

It's better than crack and booze as far as addictions go. Right? :lol:

You bet it is. Never been addicted to any drugs or anything. I have too many friends I have seen hurt, or killed.:cry:

Anyways, back with the question at hand. :D

[Trainboy]

Every photo I took before I got my XT in February.

[sas8888]

I was out on my sailboat in the intercoastal waterways enjoying a nice evening cruise here in the Tampa Bay area here in Florida and a small john boat passes me with a large lion standing in the front.

[Tony-S]

I had a chance to go on a date with a gal who was in Playboy ("Girls of the Big-8" issue). But I was a sissy back then...

[fishfoto]

Off the top of my head I can think of hundreds of images I have missed in my career. There are so many moments missed for so many reasons.

My head is spinning thinking of what I have missed........thanks for slicing open my vein and pouring in the lemon juice as a reminder!

[Bosscat]

There was this gal in high school...............oh, not that kind of missed opportunity

If I had a dolar for every missed shot, I'd be rich

[Trainboy]

I was out on my sailboat in the intercoastal waterways enjoying a nice evening cruise here in the Tampa Bay area here in Florida and a small john boat passes me with a large lion standing in the front.
Only one thing needs to be said to this:

.....wat

[SteveBrown]

Only one thing needs to be said to this:

.....wat

yeah, what he said.:eek:

[MT59]

I had one while shooting kids' soccer one day. I was on the sideline and the ball had just been kicked and was rolling pretty much directly towards me. As usual in this circumstance, I lowered my camera to see where everyone was.

One player, a boy, was running almost parallel to the ball towards the sideline. As I turned and looked to the right, an opposing player, a girl, was coming up the sideline to intercept the ball.

Since they were about to meet (boy, girl, ball) all at the same time just a few feet in front of me, I backed up several feet to keep from being in an imminent collision. Just before the boy got to the ball, the girl got a foot on it, kicked it away from her and past the boy.

The part that I missed was that to avoid a collision with the boy, who tried to kick and missed and was getting ready to slide into the ground, the girl did a flying cartwheel over the boy's body, landed back on her feet running and kept up with the ball on down the field.

The boy was dumbfounded, the parents were going nuts and I was standing there cursing the fact that it happened way too close to me to have caught it with my 70-200mm lens.

Oh well.

[scotteisenphotography]

I've been carrying a camera of sorts everywhere with me ever since there was a really cool storm coming and my girlfriend said "oooo too bad you don't have your camera!" and she continues to torment me with this when I dont have one.

[PhotoJourno]

I've been carrying a camera of sorts everywhere with me ever since there was a really cool storm coming and my girlfriend said "oooo too bad you don't have your camera!" and she continues to torment me with this when I dont have one.

Good point. Ever since I carry a Canon PS with me all the time, I have had a much better feeling when thinking about missed photos. Most of the missed opportunitied did happen without a camera handy.

There were also those from when I was a bit bashful, and would not raise the camera to the upcoming car or group of people, simply to realize I had just missed a chance to photograph a personal hero, or an assignment given to me.

Nowadays the missed photos are more circumstancial, either because I was following another chain of events, and suddenly saw or heard a concurrent or paralel event that I could have photographed.

One thing stands true. No matter how many photos you take, you will always remember the ones you missed, and not the ones you took. (Cleaning my Backups, I saw some pics that I honestly thought I had perhaps gotten from POTN -you know how sometimes someone wants input on how to pp a photo, etc- but I had to look at the EXIF to realize it was mine, or find more of the same series). The ones I missed, I could tell you about each one of them.

[sas8888]

Only one thing needs to be said to this:

.....wat

yeah, what he said.:eek:

It was definitely a double and triple take to see this Male lion with his big mane blowing in the wind on this small john boat just cruising down the intercoastal waterway just like it was a normal thing. Luckily there were about 7 people with me that all saw the same thing. No cameras but a great story.

[SteveBrown]

It was definitely a double and triple take to see this Male lion with his big mane blowing in the wind on this small john boat just cruising down the intercoastal waterway just like it was a normal thing. Luckily there were about 7 people with me that all saw the same thing. No cameras but a great story.

Almost wonder if the guy was running drugs, who would try and steal from him.:eek:

[ryant35]

I was shooting an off-road race with my 40D, 70-200mm & 2x extender. I was standing inside a turn when I realized I was too close for the extender, and the lead pack was coming up fast, so I went to take off the extender and drop it in my pocket and keep shooting.
Just as I released it and turned slightly, one of the trucks nosed dived off a jump and started to flip in the air, so I twisted the extender back on but accidentally hit the shutter before it was all the way on, oh no! error 99!!!! so I missed the crash.

[ryant35]

And on just the other night we missed a great sunset because it's getting dark earlier, I forgot. So we ended up at a town center mall plaza with one of those fountains that you can walk in and sprays up at random times. My 6 year old boy ended up soaked and I though I could get a bunch of great shots of him with the water spraying all around him. So I went back to the car for my camera after a few minutes of considering. By the time I got back the fountain was off and he was cold. No I was stuck carrying around my camera the rest of the night.

[ryant35]

I've got another one...

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k173/ryant35/IMG_2061-1.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k173/ryant35/IMG_2065.jpg
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k173/ryant35/IMG_2069.jpg

I was shooting at 1/160sec and didn't get a single decent shot of the crash, and as it turns out this was the biggest crash of the season and ended up being what all of the photographers refer to all the time, I was one of the closest and I missed it.

[LW Dail]

Leaving my parent's neighborhood early one morning.

The road ran along a horse pasture.

It was a foggy morning. The sun was rising in front of me.

As I sat getting ready to turn, two horses began frollicking, rearing and playing pattycake.

I sat there for ten minutes watching. Missed my camera, but I still remember watching them play like that. Wow.

[Picture North Carolina]

A UFO.

[Patriotic1]

I was with a group of co-workers on the 21st floor of a building in Virginia that overlooked Arlington National Cemetary and the US Pentagon in the distance with a direct view towards the side that was hit on 9/11... we were in a corner window office watching the news coverage of the NY attacks on our SVP's office TV when the Pentagon was struck - literally behind us - someone yelled and we spun around to see a huge fireball erupting from the side of the Pentagon. I've always thought that if I had my gear with me I could have captured images of the SECONDS after the impact... the huge fireball didn't immediately subside... it was shocking to see.

Part of me isn't sure that I would want to have captured this image - but another part of me wishes I had because its part of our country's history. And the only images they had of the impact and the immediate aftermath came from some very poor quality fixed security video cameras outside the Pentagon if I remember correctly.

It was a very surreal experience... but one which I know pales in comparison to what people experienced/witnessed in NYC that day. I know this is a heavy subject, but I'm sure that will go down in my life as the biggest missed opportunity - if you believe that such a moment should even be captured. I'm still torn on that.

[ryant35]

I was with a group of co-workers on the 21st floor of a building in Virginia that overlooked Arlington National Cemetary and the US Pentagon in the distance with a direct view towards the side that was hit on 9/11... we were in a corner window office watching the news coverage of the NY attacks on our SVP's office TV when the Pentagon was struck - literally behind us - someone yelled and we spun around to see a huge fireball erupting from the side of the Pentagon. I've always thought that if I had my gear with me I could have captured images of the SECONDS after the impact... the huge fireball didn't immediately subside... it was shocking to see.

Part of me isn't sure that I would want to have captured this image - but another part of me wishes I had because its part of our country's history. And the only images they had of the impact and the immediate aftermath came from some very poor quality fixed security video cameras outside the Pentagon if I remember correctly.

It was a very surreal experience... but one which I know pales in comparison to what people witnessed in NYC that day. I know this is a heavy subject, but I'm sure that will go down in my life as the biggest missed opportunity - if you believe that such a moment should even be captured. I'm still torn on that.

WOW. Now that was a missed opportunity. I guess you've got us all beat.

[DerekRob]

Well I just got done focusing on an old tractor that was sitting in the grass and I took one step and a geese just flew out from a foot away from me and I was freak double freak.


side note
I got a nice photo of the sky though LOL.

[Patriotic1]

WOW. Now that was a missed opportunity. I guess you've got us all beat. Well the one point I didn't address is whether or not I would have had the composure (i.e balls) to stick around and take the shots. Our entire floor, and the rest of the building, immediately evacuated after looking out the window and seeing the Pentagon on fire... running down 21 flrs using the emergency stairways. After seeing the NYC towers footage on the TV... no one wanted to stick around in a high-rise building. It was really a panic response. So I suppose its hard for me to say it really was a missed opportunity - because that assumes that I could/would have been able to fight the urge to run out with EVERYONE else in that moment of mass panic. I like to consider myself a brave guy, but under those circumstances I can't say I would have done anything different in all honesty.

[tonylong]

Well the one point I didn't address is whether or not I would have had the composure (i.e balls) to stick around and take the shots. Our entire floor, and the rest of the building, immediately evacuated after looking out the window and seeing the Pentagon on fire... running down 21 flrs using the emergency stairways. After seeing the NYC towers footage on the TV... no one wanted to stick around in a high-rise building. It was really a panic response. So I suppose its hard for me to say it really was a missed opportunity - because that assumes that I could/would have been able to fight the urge to run out with EVERYONE else in that moment of mass panic. I like to consider myself a brave guy, but under those circumstances I can't say I would have done anything different in all honesty.

Wow, what an experience that must have been -- I'm sure none of us would want to promote the idea of capitalizing on such catastrophes, but I know that to this day the images from 9/11 have a profound affect. I doubt that you would have regretted it if you had a camera and grabbed shots. I recall that in Manhattan a few years back someone opened a gallery of sorts where people could show their images from 9/11 and it was very moving, a way of people trying to deal with the event and move forward.

[LW Dail]

Isn't it amazing that any one of us, at any time, could photograph history.

You're at work and a plane is flown into the Pentagon.

You're walking along a street in NYC and the World Trade Center is attacked.

People in OKC were just going about their day when the world changed.

What a dilema - I think any of us would shoot it if we could, but imagine what comes next. I wonder about the video and stills you see on the news almost immediately after an event.

I guess war photographers deal with this dilema often, I wonder what I would do?

[Vanthel]

I saw a fox skittering around along a sidewalk in the London suburbs last night, perfectly illuminated by the street lamps with a slight bit of mist.

Would have been great for the 70-200L :(

[PhotosGuy]

Even when I have the camera with me I've missed shots spectating instead of taking care of business. I had just switched to manual ... As she pulled away I looked at one of the shots and realized I didn't change any settings and all of the shots were bright white with NO detail at all! While I shoot on manual 99% of the time, I also set Av to a wide open aperture & Tv to a shutter speed different from the M one. Why? Because I've bumped the dial at times & not noticed it until too late. Also, if something is happening fast & I don't have the 2 seconds to adjust the ISO for that subject, & can at least get some sort of an image with Av or Tv.

[Dan-o]

Would have been great for the 70-200L

Or a 10-22. Ruger that is.

Kidding I love animals.

[Kronie]

I just had one. I Was driving back to work and noticed an old dead tree that I sometimes see one hawk in. Today this tree had like six or seven! The whole tree was peppered with these huge hawks. I did have my camera. (I usually take it everywhere) but only had my 11-16. I needed a WAY longer lens.

[b8264d]

Several years ago, while working in the Republic of Panama, I was driving home from work when I passed a typical dry season scene. A fire truck on the side of the road putting out a brush fire. Here was this beautiful bright red truck was, nearly surrounded by blackened grass, the firefighters stripped to the waist, sweating and the hoses in hand with water still dripping from them. Would have been an awesome image.

[gymell]

I was leaving Grand Tetons National Park last July, early on a sunny morning. It was a beautiful sunrise. I was following my GPS to get out of the park and it took me out along this road with a great view of the mountains. I was in somewhat of a hurry to get going and had no intention of doing any photography, so all of my gear was in the trunk of the car. As I was driving along, this beautiful goshawk landed on a fence post right next to the road. Perfect morning light, with the mountains in the background. Would have been an awesome shot had I been prepared. I stopped and watch it sit there for a while, knowing there was no chance I could get my camera. Then it flew away and the rest of the morning I was thinking about the shot that could have been!

[tonylong]

I was leaving Grand Tetons National Park last July, early on a sunny morning. It was a beautiful sunrise. I was following my GPS to get out of the park and it took me out along this road with a great view of the mountains. I was in somewhat of a hurry to get going and had no intention of doing any photography, so all of my gear was in the trunk of the car. As I was driving along, this beautiful goshawk landed on a fence post right next to the road. Perfect morning light, with the mountains in the background. Would have been an awesome shot had I been prepared. I stopped and watch it sit there for a while, knowing there was no chance I could get my camera. Then it flew away and the rest of the morning I was thinking about the shot that could have been!

That reminds me of an occasion where I actually got the shot -- this summer I was returning from a day trip to the Pacific Coast, and was wandering down a side road along the banks of the Columbia River near where I live, but found nothing of interest. As I was looking for a way back to the highway I happened to spot what I thought was an osprey perched in a tree along the river bank. Even though I have gotten closer shots with ospreys, I decided to stop the car anyway, and I did have my camera handy with the 100-400 lens on. I had to quietly get out of the car (the bird was on the passenger side), prop my gear on the roof of the car, and it was only after focusing at 400mm that I realized the bird was a youngish bald eagle. A few clicks later it got tired of my presence and flew off, but it was for me a very nice close encounter!

[sunking39]

I was in Miami, having dinner with my pops in a restaurant. I had a little and very cool B&W disposable camera. ¿Who comes out of another dining room? None other than THE WORM!!! Dennis Roman. He seemed high. He spoke to us for a while, was very nice and actually accepted some whine my mum offered him. But I was too nerveous, specially taking into account the wild and even violent history Dennis is known to have. So I choked and kept my cam to myself. Needless to say I immediately regretted it. The Light was very good too.

[PhotosGuy]

I was in somewhat of a hurry to get going and had no intention of doing any photography, so all of my gear was in the trunk of the car. I keep a cardboard box behind the passengers seat with bubble wrap in it for the camera. If I go into a store, I put a hat over it to hide the camera.

[gymell]

I keep a cardboard box with bubble wrap in it for the camera. If I go into a store, I put a hat over it to hide the camera.

My problem is that the 500mm is so large, it's hard to hide like that. I'm reluctant to leave many thousands of dollars worth of equipment in my vehicle for even a short time. Yes, it's insured and all, but that doesn't mean I'm any more willing to leave it out and risk theft. The 500 is a great lens, but it does mean I miss many opportunities because I only have it when I'm specifically out to do photography. What I should probably do is keep the 100-400 with me, which is a bit more portable and hideable, and less of a loss should something happen.

[elader]

I got flashed by 4 girls riding in the bed of a pickup truck while I was going the other way. Of course my cam was on the seat next to me :-(. Of course it had a 400mm lens on it :-(

[DerekRob]

I got flashed by 4 girls riding in the bed of a pickup truck while I was going the other way. Of course my cam was on the seat next to me :-(. Of course it had a 400mm lens on it :-(You did miss out and could have had 8 of a pair :)

[Sparky98]

One I will never forget happened about 20 or more years ago. I was taking my wife, my parents, and one of my aunts to the wedding of one of our cousins. As is normal for my family we were running late and in a hurry and I don't even remember if I had my camera with me but I couldn't have stopped anyway.

We had just passed through one of the NE Texas farm towns and it was late afternoonon with clear skys and absolutely no breeze. Just a beautiful early June day. The sun was low on the horizon and the sky had a warm red glow to it. I looked off to my left into the sun and there was this large field. A farmer was out plowing and because there was no wind the red dust he stirred up with his tractor and plow was hanging in the air. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever seen with the late afternoon sun, already giving everything a red glow, shining through all that dust and backlighting the farmer on his tractor. The whole sky had this magic glow to it and I missed the shot.

I still have that shot in my mind and I keep looking for farmers on tractors but I have never seen anything again that matched that one shot I missed.

[BobOh]

Two times for sure. First was while traveling east toward Salt Lake City in the early morning. The salt pools around the hills beside the interstate were absolutely mirror smooth. That and the good light would have made a great picture.

Second time was east bound in Alberta or Saskatchewan on TC-1. It was shortly before sunset and we came over a hill and had a 5-10 mile view of the golden lit wheat fields with a city or hills in the distance.

Both times I did have my camera along. I was just too lazy to stop and get out. So now I get to kick myself and tell all of you, don't miss pictures because you're lazy.

[justincase724]

I was going surfing late one afternoon and the light was a nice golden orange to the west, and still a crisp blue to the east. The air was real clear as a small storm had blown through earlier that day, but a few puffy clouds still lingered. Just before I duck-dived under an oncoming wave, there was a bright flash of lightning out over the ocean from one of the lone clouds. I came up gasping for air in sheer aww of what I just saw. I ended up just sitting there in the water for about 20 minutes watching this cloud as it gave off about 4 more bright bluish bolts of lighting against the darkening sunset sky. By far one of the most amazing sites I've ever seen.

[yogestee]

A few years ago I was asked to assist another photographer to document the ethnic groups of Laos, the most ethnically diverse country in SE Asia.. The purpose was for a book to be published.. At the time I was working for a newspaper in Australia.. I couldn't get enough time off work to assist,, it would have taken 6-9 months to complete..

Now that I'm living and working in Laos I'd give my eye teeth to shoot that gig.. :(

[c2thew]

"Danica Patrick quickly pulled up right behind me and started shouting at someone in the garage, then quickly pulled away. While she was shouting into the garage I turned and fired off about 15 shots of her. As she pulled away I looked at one of the shots and realized I didn't change any settings and all of the shots were bright white with NO detail at all!"

wow that is a bummer.