Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

To answer your question:
Rarely, and only to exceptional effect!

Dave

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

Amidst the plethora of mistakes lurking in the "artistic" corner comes Dave with the truth of the matter.

Great comment buddy. Will keep me chucking all day!
Do you have English blood? That comment is just so Anglo Saxon. Funny true and devoid of bull.

Chuck_893 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

Minnie, I have not read all the way through, but my immediate reaction on seeing the shot was, What Blown Highlights? Just eyeballing it, it looks absolutely fine, and incidentally wonderful, a beautiful, entrancing picture.

I have glanced at a few of the other submissions and I still don't see highlights I would consider "blown." That to me is different from a specular highlight, like off the chrome handlebar of a motorcycle in the sun.

I can't say that I have ever deliberately blown a highlight, especially not since I switched to raw, but I've shot into the sun lots of times, like this for example, on the Oregon Coast. This was a jpeg as I hadn't switched to raw, but I doubt it would have made any difference.
Cape Lookout Sunset, Oregon Coast by Chuck Haacker, on Flickr
In this case I was waiting for the sun to get further down. I was fearful of blowing my sensor since so far as I know my camera has no actual shutter, but this couple came walking and I had to get them crossing the reflection. It was too early, the sun's too big, but I still love the shot for a memory if nothing else.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

That's pretty interesting. I am always experimenting, and most of the time those experiments don't amount to a darned thing. Every once in a while I end up with something I like and then I ask questions. Glad you shared your experiment! All the detail in the plant looks pretty nice against the "nothing" sky.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Zombie Thread Rises From The Dead!!

It is always interesting when that happens. Yeah, I meant blown on purpose in the camera, though I'm sure it could be done in post as well. Like I said in my post, I had several with full detail in the highlights but ended up liking the experimental shot better and wondered if anyone else had done similar.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Me either, but since I did it once, and kept this image, I was curious.

Thank you for a second look, 6 months later, after I'd forgot all about it!

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Thanks for pitching in Chuck! In this case, it is technically more lack of detail than totally blown I guess. It's pretty easy NOT to lose detail with a mirrorless camera unless you're experimenting like I was here. I have several shots with plenty of detail but in the end I liked this one and was curious if anyone else had done that and when/why. Thanks for sharing your sun-shot. I am always doing sun shots, which are often discarded, but when I get a decent one, I'm kinda happy.

And ain't nothing wrong with memory shots. Big sun and all!

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

Very unlikely min and lets have an honesty campaign starting now!
Experimental shot my butt gal lol lol lol. Mistake me thinks.
Good things can happen after a mistake but it remains what it was.

Or maybe experimental is the new full of respect term for mistake!!!!

Luv ya min

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Think whatever you wish, fella, but it would be damned hard to blow highlights accidentally with an EM1 unless you were shooting with your eyes closed:) Try it sometime if you get the chance and let me know how it goes. I make a whole bunch of mistakes but that ain't one of em.

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

Thanks, Billy,
And here 'tiz:

"...and Still They Attend"

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

You were correct " to exceptional effect indeed".

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

To answer the title question: No, I do it often enough by accident.