Silly Mistakes In Photography.

[K9Kirk]

I'm a little bored so here it goes. Every once in awhile we all have to laugh at ourselves for the mistakes we make and I made a good one the other day while down by the bay photographing the wildlife. I'd been set up to take pics with my largest telephoto lens so I was using the tripod. When I decided I'd taken enough pics with that I switched over to a smaller tele lens that I'd just bought and started taking handheld pics.

After a few minutes of changing my cameras settings and waiting for a good shot, one finally presented itself and I took a pic but something was terribly wrong. I took a few more and I was puzzled as to why it was when I hit the shutter release I didn't hear anything but after several seconds I finally heard the click. I was sure I'd put the camera on the right settings and I started to think there was something wrong with the new lens (NOOOO, NOT MY NEW LENS) or the camera itself and I started getting a little stressed over it.

Then it dawned on me and as many of you probably guessed, the camera's timer was on. I rarely use it and had used it just minutes before when taking pics with the tripod (didn't have my remote shutter release with me, oops!) and I'd totally forgot I'd used the timer. I'd had it set to 2 seconds, not the ten that it was taking for the shutter to release so that slowed me down a little in spotting the problem and I still don't know how the setting changed. I'm still baffled about that. Oh, well, I laugh at it all now. Have any "derp" moments in photography that you'd like to share or am I the Lone Ranger of mistakes in photography?

 

[smoke665]

Sorry, you're the Lone Ranger. Lol

Kidding that happens to me every now and then. Wait till you forget to switch back from multiple images. Makes for some interesting WTH images as you try to figure out why your camera won't stop.

 

[CODYMAJ]

My favorite mistakes are when I'm trying to shoot the stars and it takes me WAY longer than it should to realize my lens cap is still on. (THAT'S why it's so dark!)

 

[petrochemist]

Yes done both of them.
Leaving the camera on timer I normally spot almost immediately, the lens cap failure is something I only do in poor light.
Another one I've managed twice is leaving my memory card in the laptop & not realized till I'd taken twenty or do shots.

 

[RowdyRay]

Last winter, I headed to a local park. It was quite cold out, so I put the battery grip on. Figured two batteries would last longer than one. As I was getting out of the truck, the wind blew the door into me, hitting the camera too. Turned it on, everything seemed fine. Until I tried to take a picture. Wouldn't focus or release the shutter. Restarted it. Tried everything. Went home devastated. Thinking the worst.

Dummy me! There are buttons on the grip to use it in the portrait position. The last time I had used it, it was for that reason. There's also a switch to turn those buttons on or off. Guess where it was.... Felt so stupid and relieved at the same time. Won't do that again.

 

[Derrel]

In over 19 years' worth of digital shooting, I've committed a lot of mistakes...including WB,self-timer,and card loading errors,flash transmitter channel errors.,etc. ...

 

[Parker219]

Well my mistake was not camera related but here it goes...

I was photographing a day spa a few years ago and the spa told me they hired a model for the photoshoot. I had visions in my head all day long of what this model would look like.

So, I get there and walk inside with all my gear. I meet the owner and we talk for a minute. Then she tells me to wait in the lobby while she finishes setting up the room.

The lobby already had 2 customers sitting down. Then another lady walks in who looked 60-65 years old. She starts talking to me about my gear and making small talk.

Then I proceeded to open my big mouth and say "I wonder what the model will look like "?

Then she says...I am the model.

 

[Jean Green]

I had a typical mistake of not taking of the lens protector.

 

[Jeff15]

I have made so many I cannot remember them all.............

 

[Solarflare]

My favorite error really is when autofocus isnt working.

It could be:

1 - because the autofocus cant lock on, for all the various reasons like insufficient contrast that this will happen

2 - because its switched off on the lens

3 - because its switched off on the camera

4 - because I enabled back button focus

5 - I think there was another possible cause that I cant recall right now

Either way every time that happends I'm going to have fun.

Another favorite of mine is

1. Mounting the Voigtländer 58mm f1.4 (it only happends with this lens)

2. Unable to shoot because the aperture ring, which is easy to accidentally move, isnt on minimum aperture (f/16 for this lens, I think)

Really wished Voigtländer would have included the aperture lock that my Zeiss Distagon 35mm f2 ZF.2 has.

 

[Overread]

A few of my repeat/favourites

1) Forgetting that AF assist beams don't work with continuous AF! Since my camera basically lives in that mode often spend ages wondering why the assist beams aren't working, or worried that something is broken or that its a menu setting buried in Canon's highly uninformative "menu option 1, 2, 3, 4" that they use for flashes.

2) Forgetting how to activate self timer mode! I can never remember how to use it and spend ages going through menus trying to fathom how how the heck I can turn it on!

 

[D7K]

Messed up a few shots when forgetting I've had the timer set, or that I have exposure delay enabled, the other one that troubled me in the past was that I'd knocked the switch and locked focus either without realising or had forgotten to unlock it... A good few more I'm sure!

 

[ClickAddict]

Not as much a mistake, but a moment of panic over something stupid.
Was taking some shots in studio, about an hour in all of a sudden the camera stops firing. I look at the back everything is black.... That's odd... Power it off and then back on again.. Still nothing. Like there was no power. I figure I must have not charged the batteries (Although pretty sure I had)
I only have 2 of the canon batteries (both already in the grip) but have a second tray for AA batteries, so pull that out of the bottom of the bag, pop in 4 new batteries, pop the tray in... still no power.... At this point I'm slightly freaking out. I have a backup camera, but there is a big difference in them and dont want to just give up. Figure I'll try running without the grip and try one Canon battery at a time maybe one is good....
As I'm about to remove the grip, I notice it is slightly unscrewed. (2-3 millimeter gap) . Screw it tight again, pop in canon battery tray and power on... voila. Heart starts beating again. 1st time that ever happened in 2-3 years of using it. Model and I had a good laugh.

 

[RVT1K]

Not as much a mistake, but a moment of panic over something stupid.
Was taking some shots in studio, about an hour in all of a sudden the camera stops firing. I look at the back everything is black.... That's odd... Power it off and then back on again.. Still nothing. Like there was no power. I figure I must have not charged the batteries (Although pretty sure I had)
I only have 2 of the canon batteries (both already in the grip) but have a second tray for AA batteries, so pull that out of the bottom of the bag, pop in 4 new batteries, pop the tray in... still no power.... At this point I'm slightly freaking out. I have a backup camera, but there is a big difference in them and dont want to just give up. Figure I'll try running without the grip and try one Canon battery at a time maybe one is good....
As I'm about to remove the grip, I notice it is slightly unscrewed. (2-3 millimeter gap) . Screw it tight again, pop in canon battery tray and power on... voila. Heart starts beating again. 1st time that ever happened in 2-3 years of using it. Model and I had a good laugh.

I had a close call due to the grip I had on my D90.
I had my 70-200 f/2.8 mounted and was using my sun-sniper sling which mounts to the 1/4-20 threaded hole on the bottom of the grip.

I usually walk with one hand on the camera/lens to keep it from swinging around too much and bouncing off my leg.

At some point I realize the camera/lens is in my hand but NOT hanging from my shoulder!!

The grip had come loose from the body and completely detached.

Had I not been holding on, the whole thing would have hit the dirt.

So...watch your grip!

 

[JonFZ300]

We were going to a primo birding spot for a whole day of shooting and the memory card was in the computer at home and I didn't have a backup in my bag. I never did that again.