Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

Some years ago, a friend working as a graphic designer was supplied with a new camera. They upgraded from a point and shoot to a Nikon D7100. He has to share the camera with another graphic designer who was a complete a-hole. The kind of person who steals designs and when asked for help would give low resolution images instead of editable files. Lets call this guy Deeki and my friend Reto.

Reto is a proficient & talented photographer and was happy for the upgrade even offering to teach others how to use the new tool. Deeki on the other hand grab that as an opportunity to up his game. He was pretentious and bragging, belittling Reto's effort and insisting that he should keep the new camera as he knows everything about it.

Tired of his bull, Reto hatched a plan to teach him a lesson.
When he got hold of the camera, he set it up full manual turning off anything auto including the lens focus & stability switches. He had it on back button focus, jpeg low files, shoot without memory card, low shutter speed & extremely high ISO.
In short, Reto did the whole shebang, setting everything off, manual or wrong in the camera and left it that way for Deeki.

For the next 2 months, Deeki could not take a decent picture and of course blamed the camera.
Reto played him, telling Deeki that there is nothing wrong with the new camera and proceed to take good photos, teasing that he only use the old point and shoot.

In the end Deeki was forced to ask Reto for help.

Deeki the ass learned a lesson when Reto returned the favor.

skipwv Loc: West Virginia

Hmmm... Are Reto and Deeki here on UHH, too? 😉

Compassionate nurse

Great question!

Abo

Setting a colleague up to fail does not aid the business/employer one little bit.
In fact it can only cost the employer... so I see them both as a liability... two thirds of the Three Stooges.

skipwv Loc: West Virginia

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

Hahahaha

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Putting the 'ugly' in the ugly hedgehog.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

When I was 10 years old, "Old Man Kaiser" our next-door neighbor,r was mean and nasty to all the neighborhood kids. So...my cohorts and I enlisted the help of big Sheldon, who wanted to join our "gang" and had him collect doggie droppings from the curb (before poop and scoop laws were enacted)- that would be his initiation duty! We would then place the collection a paper bag, set fire to it, place it on Mr. Kaiser's doorstep, ring his doorbell, and gleefully watch from afar his stamping out the flames and thereby spreading molten dog excrement all over this walkway and garden.

After a number of these episodes, we were approached by a not so kindly Officer Barcelona who familiarized with the anti-arson and vandalism laws and threatened us with arrest or worse, telling our parents what we were up to!

Then I GREW UP and realized that if someone was doing me dirty, stealing my stuff, getting on my nerves, or doing unethical or unfriendly acts, the best and ADULT approach was to look him or her in the eye and tell them to cease and desist or continue at their peril! Perhaps in more succinct terms in my angry vernacular vocabulary with some strong Anglo-Saxon colloquialisms! Pulling pranks only exacerbates things.

It's also hard to believe that the "bad guy" in the story didn't know that someone was tampering with the camera. Well- perhaps he was too busy stealing design concepts that he had no time to read the manual or Google it or post on this forum! We read stuff like that around here every day.

What's next...crazy glue on the toilet seat!

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

As of now no.
Reto prefers to join local groups as he has his own business now and the local connections helps in the reel in cash.

No idea about Deeki but probably no too.
Deeki is not really into photography. Just an office bully pretending to know everything.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

That is true if the reason is malicious or just plain pranking at work.
Reto did what he did to stop a bully and teach the bully a lesson.

And Reto was successful that Deeki actually learned to use the camera properly with his help and stopped being an a-hole in dealing with others.

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

Maybe a shorter time frame for the lesson would have sufficed. Two months is rather long.

Abo

I'll believe you... millions would not though.

Bud, setting a colleague up to fail does not aid the business/employer one little bit.

If the first third of the three stooges learned to use the camera... "properly"
as you would have it... it was certainly not because he was set up.

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

IMHO, once an a-hole, always an a-hole!! Personally, I think it’s great what Retro did. Serves Deeki right!

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

LOL. I've seen really bad pranks in school and crazy glue would far surpass them all.

Too bad children can not do a staredown if the bully was older or bigger than them. They (or your team then) really has nothing to get even except pranks or just keep away. Sadly such action normally do not produce the desired result for both parties.

The bully as far as what Reto told me, do not know crap about photography. Reto tested him and found out Deeki was just bragging and having way with colleagues as Deeki have done on many occasions.

Fed up due to many past actions, Reto decided to mellow Deeki down, by exposing the persons lying.
All the time offering help which in the end Deeki decided to grab as it was needed in their job.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

I believe it was because they do not use the camera that often.