No CAMERA! Raced up the hill, grabbed G5 and +4 Canon Macro and ran back down hill praying they were still there and the waning light would still be strong enough... and they were!
THEN! The juice runs dry! Battery is dead! OMG! And I had only snapped 4 shots, silly me!
Run back up the hill, plug the Camera into the power supply and look at my shots, mostly crap! Give it 5 minutes to power up and run BACK down the hill!
And they are still there! (Notice the fantastic irony, the coupled butterflies engaging in the wonderous act of procreation vs the puffing mad photographer running the 100 yard dash back and forth and repeatedly snapping away in their faces.) So get some more shots but the light is almost gone and I've no tripod! ack!
Ok so... please someone tell me this is a common occurence or at least not so rare that I messed up a once in a long time opportunity?!
NOt bad, really....may need a bit of sharpening with it. Under your conditions, i think you got a nice shot out from all that running around. However, I have too have learned the hard way. Keep your batteries hot and charged, have more film storage and get a tri-pod. Take them all with you, even if you think you won't need them. Found that isn't true. Many times! :)
Funny story, sounds like me when dashing to the beach, only to to catch the tail end of a fantastic sunset that is now dead.
I like how vibrant this shot is.
Those are really amazing butterflies. I've never seen anything like them. Beautiful.
And on top of that, your story had me laughing so hard I almost cried. I have soooooo been there. Two years ago, I was out jogging with my dogs at sunset, just after a rainstorm. Suddenly the most beautiful double rainbow appeared. I was pretty proud of myself that I had taken my camera with me on my jogging expedition, but unfortunately I had forgotten the battery was in the charger at the house.
So I ran a half mile back to the house, dragging the dogs behind me (they're weiner dogs, their legs are short and they don't run fast for that long), got the battery, ran back (but left the dogs home that time) and on my way to take the picture, I was running and putting the battery in the camera when I stepped off the curb wrong and broke my ankle in three places... Never did get the shot... But I didn't break the camera. :)
Hey everybody thanks for the encouraging comments! Great to be able to share in the moment and to know you appreciate the humour in those situations :P I must have been out of breath and giddy when asking about the rarity! duh?! but thanks for the clarification. I don't know what butterfly these are but I shall look around the net.
cmangis great shot, love the vibrant colors. Mating poses!? Such voyeurs! :P
Jodie your story had me laughing and then wincing! Oh how painful! It is funny you say "never did break the camera" because that evening when running back up the garden stairs on my return to the butterflies, I was holding my camera and thought "What is the best way to fall if i trip, to avoid damaging my camera!?" :P
Oh dear!
Well I was able to salvage clarity from the second shot and did a crop similar to the first shot, even adding some more foliage at the bottom to give breathing room to the butterflies. So here is the ultra sharp end product that will print at hires and keep me happy. Would like to share one more time :)
