[tvdtvdtvd]

1997, I made plans for a camping trip to photograph comet Hale-Bopp away from city lights. Well, spur of the moment plan
when I realized it was a new moon for that particular weekend. Packed the car in haste then drove 2.5 hours to a scenic
state park, (Enchanted Rock, Texas).

First blunder - no reservation. It was Summer and the park was booked solid with families and boy scout troops. I and
one other party waited for a couple hours to see if there were any no shows. I was second on the waiting list and with
undeserved fortune on my side I got the last camp site of the day. Blunder averted.

I had arrived at the park early with the intention of a leisurely setup, followed by a hike, dinner and then comet shoot. But all
of that was washed away while I waited in the welcome center for a slot to open up. So now I found myself in a rush to get
the car unpacked and head into the back country to locate a suitable site to shoot the comet.

Second Blunder - As I unpacked the car I realized I had forgotten to bring a tripod. I still remember the chill as I felt the blood
leave my extremities. A bit of quick thinking and I managed to scrounge a short length of 2x4 and some electrical tape with
the hopes of improvising some sort of camera mount. I gathered my gear and hiked in for about 20 minutes to get away from
the campground and lights. Sun was fading fast so I had to locate a suitable site quickly. Fortune again was on my side
as I found a large, flat boulder of granite, angled directly at the comet. I folded up my jacket and placed it on the boulder
to use as a pad for the camera. Camera was perfectly aligned towards the comet and I didn't even need to bother with
the 2x4. Second Blunder averted.

I shot two rolls of film over the next 2-3 hours. This was pre digital, (ME Super + M50/1.7), so I had no idea of knowing how
my shots looked. I took a range of exposures with shutters times up to 30 seconds. Around 11pm I packed it in and started
back to the campsite.

Third Blunder - Just as I was coming off the boulder, my foot slipped. My hand instinctively reached out to steady myself and
my flashlight took a hard knock on the rocks. I picked up the flashlight and it was dead; broken filament in the bulb. It was a
new moon and it was pitch dark. My heart sank as I realized my 20 minute walk back would now take many hours and probably
induce many bumps and scrapes as I felt my way back through the broken terrain. I contemplated sleeping among the rocks,
though the air was getting a bit chilly. Just then two hikers came by on their way to a back woods camp site. I explained to
them my predicament and one of the hikers produced a keychain flashlight, which he gave to me. That little flashlight didn't
put out much light, but it was enough to allow me to work my way back slowly and not twist an ankle, or worse. Every few minutes
I would have to turn off the flashlight and let it rest so the charge could balance out, but the battery held with enough juice to
get me back to the campsite. It still took well over an hour but I finally got back to my tent. Third Blunder averted.

In the end, I got several good shots, including one excellent image. The very first image I took was a long exposure just
before light from the sun had completely faded. There is a lovely pink wash at the bottom of the frame. But best of all, I caught
the trail of an airplane crossing the frame, and the alignment makes it appear the light trail is heading towards the comet.
Proof of the Heaven's Gate Cult leaving Earth! (I'd post a picture, but I'm away from my negatives. Will do so later. Note
to self; SCAN THOSE NEGATIVES).

---

Last edited by tvdtvdtvd; 06-15-2018 at 11:24 AM.

[LensBeginner]

I'm not the only one who has done those things. At least with the K-3 I usually have at least one of the 2 memory cards in it.

I have also forgotten to turn the camera off 2 or 12 second delay and then later wondered why dind't it work. I then usually get an overexposed picture of my face because I have the flash up and look at the front of the camera to "see" what is wrong.

Hahaha! hope you kept those pics, they must be priceless!

[DeadJohn]

Not a camera error but very much photography-related. Last night I used my K-1 to photograph the Milky Way as it rose over the beach. I was also using binoculars and Stellarium (smartphone sky map app) to stargaze. This morning my phone would not turn on. I was 100% positive it charged overnight.

Further investigation reminded me that I turned phone brightness all the way down to preserve my night vision. It was too dim to see in daylight. Not just dim, the screen was completely invisible. I had to find a dark room to see the screen well enough to adjust it.

[LensBeginner]

1997, I made plans for a camping trip to photograph comet Hale-Bopp away from city lights.

Wow that's a riveting account... and lots of curve balls averted as well!

As Isaac Asimov said, "To succeed, planning alone is insufficient. One must improvise as well"

[bdery]

Setting the camera to MF, 10 seconds timer for lens tests, forgetting to set things back, handing the camera to my wife and hearing her curse...

[tvdtvdtvd]

As Isaac Asimov said, "To succeed, planning alone is insufficient. One must improvise as well"

Is that really an Asimov quote? It almost seems out of character for him. Have you read his diaries/autobiographies(*)? They are
among my favorite books of all time and I've reread them several times. A true must for an Asimov fan.

* - _In Memory Yet Green_ & _In Joy Still Felt_

[Not a Number]

Is that really an Asimov quote? It almost seems out of character for him. Have you read his diaries/autobiographies(*)? They are
among my favorite books of all time and I've reread them several times. A true must for an Asimov fan.

* - _In Memory Yet Green_ & _In Joy Still Felt_

Sounds familiar, maybe from the Foundation series.

[LensBeginner]

Sounds familiar, maybe from the Foundation series.

Right, it's Salvor Hardin's
I love that book series...

[tvdtvdtvd]

Right, it's Salvor Hardin's
I love that book series...

Ah! So it's an Asimov character quote, not one of his own.

[LensBeginner]

Ah! So it's an Asimov character quote, not one of his own.

But the character doesn't exist, Asimov created "it".
Thus, for the transitive property...

[MossyRocks]

Hahaha! hope you kept those pics, they must be priceless!

Trust me. No one wants to see that.

[macman24054]

I accidentally set my camera to bracketing mode and thought my camera meter was broke because I kept getting shots with really messed up exposure. Thankfully I was just playing around.

[BrianR]

Left the house with SD card still on slot on computer.

I used to do this, now I always transfer photos using the USB cable. Whenever I grab my camera bag and head out to a scenic location I can thus be secure in the knowledge that it has an SD card in it... even if I forget to check that the camera is actually in my bag and not left at home on my desk, I'm confident it has an SD card in it. Yup, I'm pretty smrt sometimes.

[swanlefitte]

I was at Walloton Hall with my video camera and stopped to rest on a bench. 5 minutes later the entire herd of red deer came by jumping a fence 10 meters in front of me. I flipped the switch and watched this fantastic event. When they were gone i went to turn off the camera only to find it was on and i had turned it off in my excitement and captured nothing.
When i went to Chobe i had hundreds of photos and my card was filling up. I went to delete the bad ones and ended up deleting them all.

Here is Walloton Hall. Not mine
Food Preview: The Great Christmas Show at Wollaton Hall, Nottingham | NottinghamLIVE

Here is Chobe
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/botswana/northern-botswana/chobe-national-park