kb6kgx Loc: Simi Valley, CA

I photograph aircraft. For jets you want a faster shutter speed to reduce motion blur and (hopefully) get a sharper image. For prop planes and helicopters, you want a slower shutter speed so as to get good "rotor/prop blur". Anything over 1/200 will give you "frozen" props/rotors and they just look strange. Rotors and propellors should be MOVING!

So, MY "dumb camera mistake" forgetting to change the shutter speed to that needed for the particular aircraft.

Nantahalan Loc: Savannah originally; western NC now

Or that great shot of the bride waiting to make her entrance from the steps of a small rural church. Concentrating so much on the people, I didn’t notice the large cemetery monuments in the background.

distill Loc: Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire UK

Years ago opened the back of camera to check if film in! Was at friends wedding and yes we're still friends

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

I once shot a whole roll of film of my son at camp. The film hadn't caught on the sprocket, so it didn't advance. I realized something was wrong when the frame counter reached 40.

vidman64

Went on a remote shoot, and forgot to bring a backup battery, and check the existing battery, and no charger avail. Hopefully, we all do this only once, or maybe twice, and I over 20 years, have done this 3 times. Senior Moment?

eladams629 Loc: New York

Been there. It reminded me that I needed to take my time and not rush.

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

I have found myself battery-less more than once, and forgot to install an SD card once.

Bobsan Loc: Elgin,I'll.

I Had a portrait shoot at the Chicago Board of Trade. Taking shots in balcony of client trader when security advised me no flash photography. It seems I was disturbing the trading floor. Still got a few shots in but quickly escorted out

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

I'll do you one better. How about going into a burning building with the firemen and after shooting about fifty exposures and getting suspicious because I was using a 20 exposure cassette?

It happened to me when I was an Air Force Photographer in about 1965. There was a snow storm and the base commissary caught on fire. I was the alert photographer that weekend. The first I knew about it was when an AP (Air Policeman) ran through the door of the photo lab and told me to grab my camera and come with him. When we got to the commissary I quickly loaded a film cassette in my Nikon F and flipped the film advance lever a few times before enlisting the aid of a fireman to accompany me into the burning building. I was in there several minutes shooting away, risking life and limb, when the fire captain ordered everyone to evacuate the building. Once we were out, I continued to shoot photos of the fully engulfed building. Only then did it occur to me that I had shot many more than twenty exposures. Without pressing the rewind clutch button, I slowly turned the rewind knob one turn and met no resistance. When I got back to the photolab, I took the camera into the darkroom and opened the camera back and my worst suspicions were confirmed. The take-up real had failed to engage the sprocket holes on the leader.

Every time after that and to this day, I always give a backward tug on the rewind knob as part of my loading routine. I am always haunted by the great shots I lost, but have never once repeated that mistake.

maxlieberman Loc: 19027

At least I'm not the only one to have done that oh, back in the days of film. By the way, when I was in the Air Force our Squadron ran the base photo lab, among other things.

kb6kgx Loc: Simi Valley, CA

Although I never thought I'd shot a roll of film only to discover… I hadn't, BUT… I did learn to get into the necessary habit of turning the rewind knob back a bit to check for tension. Many times there wasn't any, but at that point, opening the camera back and doing it gain didn't affect the yet-unexposed film.

Mike D. Loc: Crowley County, CO.

OUCH!!!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.

BebuLamar

Then how do we know it's a mistake?

mundy-F2 Loc: Chicago suburban area

I am sure there have been several stupid moments by me, but the one you cannot fix is not taking your camera. My Z6ii finally arrived from B&H yesterday so I will spend some time to set it up and learn, then I will start posting some pictures. My friend is not using his point and shoot Nikon P7000, so now I have his cute little camera.
Happy New Year to everyone.
Mundy