Outing my own stupidity ... and dumb luck
Feb 25, 2021 11:39:14 #
RLSprouse
Loc: Encinitas CA (near Sandy Eggo)
billnikon wrote:
When I got older doing wedding photography, I used to hire Life rank boy scout's from our troop to carry and watch my equipment, I paid them $100.00 for the day and they got to eat at the reception. I tended to use three camera's, at least 10 different lenses, filters, tripods, and 4 flash units, it was hard to keep track of everything, hence the boy scout. I never had a lack of scouts that wanted to help out.
And, over the 10 years I used the scouts, never lost a piece of equipment.
And, over the 10 years I used the scouts, never lost a piece of equipment.
That is such a great idea, Bill! I'll keep that in my back pocket.
~ Russ
Feb 25, 2021 12:33:44 #
Grumpy2k wrote:
I swung by the local university to take pictures o... (show quote)
As someone else pointed out, we have all done things like that. I once went fishing along a river in a different state. I had taken a new knife with me that I had just paid over $200.00 for. Fortunately it was not one of my more expensive knives. I used the knife for a few minutes to cut line, yes I did pick up the old line for proper disposal, then caught a few fish and walked back to my campsite where my friend was waiting. He asked if I wanted help cleaning the fish and it hit me like a baseball bat. I left my knife on the bank of the river. We both raced back down to the same area and saw a number of other fishermen in the same area. Yes I did find my knife but that was a close one for me. Now I am a bit more careful.
Dennis
Feb 25, 2021 12:58:20 #
Well, last year I made a trip to East Glacier in Glacier National Park. Packed my camera bag, extra lenses, filters, tripod, data cards, batteries, etc. Made the 2 hour drive and settled in for some serious landscape captures! Lo and behold, I packed everything I could think of in the camera bag - and forgot the camera body!! After the requisite tears and self-recriminations, I grabbed my iPhone (I know, I know...) and did the best I could. The day wasn't a total waste, as I did get a few pretty nice images. But... lesson learned... 
Feb 25, 2021 13:23:51 #
I lost an SD Card once in North Carolina, whilst visiting relatives and friends, called everyone on the phone, to no avail, two years later I found it in Florida, in the key pocket in my jeans, been washed several times, it still worked
Feb 25, 2021 14:16:12 #
Don't call yourself stupid, if you do, you call all of us stupid because like everyone hear has already said, we all do something at one time or another that we wish we didn't. My first time with camera gear was taking flower photos in town, then going to a family get together. Hours later I wanted to take family photos, no gear. I quickly made the 20 minute trip back into town and thankfully the gear was still there. It happens to all of us.
Feb 25, 2021 14:33:22 #
MRY907
Loc: Juneau, Alaska
Left my full camera case on the floor of a packed bar in Seattle after a Seahawks/49ers game. Half hour later after a full panic... there it was.
Felt INCREDIBLY dumb/lucky
Felt INCREDIBLY dumb/lucky
Feb 25, 2021 14:36:07 #
Traveller_Jeff wrote:
The agent answered, "Sometimes what goes around comes around." So true!
That may be what benefited me. A week earlier I found two credit cards on the floor of a post office. Called the issuers and reported them as being found. Destroyed them per instructions. Maybe [Deity of choice] smiled on me and said, “OK, I’ll give you this one.”
Feb 25, 2021 16:02:38 #
Grumpy2k wrote:
That may be what benefited me. A week earlier I found two credit cards on the floor of a post office. Called the issuers and reported them as being found. Destroyed them per instructions. Maybe [Deity of choice] smiled on me and said, “OK, I’ll give you this one.”
Like the guy who gave me back my transportation card: "What goes around comes around."
(Sometimes)
Feb 25, 2021 17:00:18 #
ladysue
Loc: Rhinebeck, NY
This has nothing to do with photography, but must add my unbelievable experience in the same vein. Arrived at Heathrow airport mid-morning, met my sister, and used a cart to transfer my suitcase to the Heathrow Express. For expediency, I placed my passport , papers, and all money in a plastic bag that I then hung on handlebars of the cart. Many people were passing by. You guessed it. I was on the train halfway to London when I realized the bag and its contents were back on the platform of the station. Borrowed a cell phone to call the station master who said he would look for the cart and secure the bag. An hour and a half later, after arriving at Paddington Station and doubling back to Heathrow, there was no station master's office or station master to be seen. Without hope, I retraced my steps to where we had first caught the train. Standing alone on the platform, with no one else in sight, was the cart with my plastic bag and all its contents intact inside.
Feb 25, 2021 18:00:46 #
Soooooo Lucky.......I ocassionally leave my house keys in the door lock and don't realize it till I have to go out again......really stupid and just plain lucky for sure.
Glad you recovered your lens.
Glad you recovered your lens.
Feb 25, 2021 20:44:20 #
Grumpy2k wrote:
I swung by the local university to take pictures o... (show quote)
Last year at Target in LA I set my Coolpix on the restroom sink as I was washing my hands. Left and before exiting the store I realized I had left the camera in the restroom. Not even five minutes passed as I hurried back to retrieve it without any luck. Fortunately all of my wedding photos from the night before had already been downloaded from the SD card onto my IPad and backed up in ICloud. Moral: Back up ASAP since you never know what may happen when you least expect it.
Feb 26, 2021 00:16:30 #
40 years ago my brother had bought a new Canon, camera bag and a zoom lens. It was a lot of money for him at the time as he was still a very young man living at home. He went to the beach to walk out on the pier with family. His camera bag was in the trunk. He took it out and set it on the closed trunk lid and got distracted. Everyone walked to the pier and his camera bag sat on the trunk. When everyone returned the bag was gone. But of course! Interestingly our parents homeowners insurance paid for the replacement. Of course that was 40+ years ago when money was money and insurance companies more liberal with their payouts.
Feb 26, 2021 00:19:41 #
LOl...don't feel too bad! Most have done something similar. Back in the 80's when I was a lot younger I took my wife on a long anticipated backpacking trip into the High Sierra's...she was a novice so I carried a LOT of weight in my pack....and our first camp was only about 3.5 miles in at a beautiful lake at about 12,000 feet elevation...That is when I remembered I had set my 35mm film camera, a Minolta SRT 202 & Tokina 70-200mm zoom lense, on the back bumper of our truck. In the busy public parking lot...I set up the camp & tent, left her alone & scared, and RAN the entire hike to find it still there! What a relief! Then I RAN the entire 3.5 miles BACK to find her doing very well but very happy to see me again. Can't believe I was able to do things like that in my youth...wish I could at 77 now! LOL...
Feb 26, 2021 02:30:51 #
Jacksonville
Loc: Australia
Talking about stupid! Yesterday I parked my car but left it in drive. Of course, it rolled forward into a suv. Only a few scratches on the other car. The owner has to check out the electric hatch, however. He wasn't quite sure that it is working properly. We'l know in a couple of days. I'm near the point of giving up driving anyway. I still have comprehensive insurance on my car, fortunately!
Feb 27, 2021 01:25:55 #
Grumpy2k wrote:
I swung by the local university to take pictures o... (show quote)
A couple of things come to mind. Something like 30 or so years ago we were on a trip to Disneyland and I managed to leave my camera (a nice rangefinder Minolta) on a bench near a parking lot tram stop near the park entrance. When we got back to our hotel and I realized my mistake, I checked and someone turned it in to lost and found. In 1973 we were on a trip to Europe and were on our way from Amsterdam to Hoek van Holland to catch the ferry to Harwich England. We had to change trains and managed to leave our trip diary on a bench on the platform. We got off at the next stop, the agent called to where we left our diary, and they sent it to us on the next train. It wouldn't have been much of a financial loss and we were less than a week into an 11 week trip, but it was very nice to continue our adventure with it.
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