I took a short domestic flight yesterday and looked out the window over the snow-dusted fields, perfect light, amazing shapes and kicked myself for not having brought my camera. Reminded me that I read a thread somewhere where people described the best photo they never took. That amazing situation or scene that would have made a prize-winning photo if only...

what's yours? And here - everyone makes the front page, Screener's Choice! :-)

I had a Thresher Shark in the viewfinder. Coming in closer, release half pressed, shark in perfect position filling a real frontpage view, pushed release and the camera died.. Nikon F90, before Nikon found out how to make battery indicators. This was some years ago, while the Thresher shots were extremely rare too!

Ouch! If only you could get insurance for that! :-)

Sometimes I do find it frustrating being interested in photography particularly like you guys say when you see what could be a great shot but you have no camera with you. I while back there was a life size cardboard cut out of Barack Obama stood in a door way.....but alas no camera.....so no photo..... It could have been so beautiful.

I remember a good while ago getting out of a local train in the Stockholm station. Late evening, winter light getting through the partially open building, already looking very good, and then one bird flew next to the train, reflecting the light perfectly while gliding... It lasted less than a second, but all the elements were perfectly aligned for a wonderful image with a strong story. Everything except my camera, that is.
Since then, I always made a point of having it with me whenever I went to that spot, but it of course never happened again.

oh i know so many great photos i never took! it sounds crazy but i used to dream a lot about situations i could not take a wonderful photo!

How come it is always the ones that we missed that we remember. I'm an angler also, and its not the fish that are caught which are remembered, but the ones that we hooked and jumped off just before we landed them.
The one I remember of captures is a Osprey diving to get its catch, where I have a nice shot of it, but its the forrest in the background which are sharp.

Can't even get a proper insurance on the cameras! Not valid under water.. for underwater cameras!

I drove by an car accident once (not a serious one) and the two drives was standing outside arguing over who had the blame. From where I saw there seemed to be a heated discussion with pointing fingers and red faces. Then I see that one of the drivers is Yngve Hågensen (the former head union secretary in Norway). No camera - no picture. Well it wouldn't have been art, but it could have made some income from newspapers.

Generally I see lost pictures everyday everywhere. I guess I should pay more attention on the road while I'm out driving:)

Johannes

I saw a Bald Eagle snatch a Brant Goose out of the sea on the west coast of Canada once, but that was before I was interested much in photography.
A gentler image I would like to have had a camera around for was when I was gazing up at the blue sky as a light aircraft was going over. it was white with black ends to it's wings. Two seagulls drifted into view, they were white with black ends to their wings. . . not exciting I know but just a nice little comment on man and nature and flight. . .

I actually forgot to write the last part of the story.. I dropped the camera (strapped to me), Grabbed my back-up Nikonos V, and actually managed an ok, but not so good shot. When I grabbed for the camera I felt something snagged, but didn't think more over it before I was back in the boat. That was my Citizen dive watch that hooked into something on my gear. It was gone when I came up!

I was on the Tube in London one afternoon, on my way home from work. Amongst the commuters was a man standing with a massive 'Golden Eagle' on his arm (not sure what kind of Eagle it was but it was big). Whilst it looked so real, I assumed it was a prank. When I noticed the man leaving the train I decided to follow him. Up the escalators I stood some 2 metres behind him and the breeze coming down the escalator caused the bird to spread some amazing wings to steady its self. So, real bird and some really amazing looks they were getting. I wish I had my camera that day.

Today actually. It was carnival here in Düsseldorf, and everyone was dressed up. I walked down the mainstreet, and eventually turned into a wide, almost deserted alleyway, full of light. Right before my eyes, I saw a man, perfectly dressed as an Uruk-hai, a character in Lord of the rings, being arrested by five policeman. I grabbed my camera, and, much to my surprise, the camera said, "lens error, please restart camera", by which time they had all walked away. I still feel gutted.

I once watched an eagle try to catch a merganser that was swimming on a river. Mergansers are diving ducks so the duck was able to escape by popping under the water each time the eagle approached. The eagle made three or four attempts and they were fairly close to me so I had lots of time to get set up. If I had had my camera I'm sure I could have captured the eagle in a hunting/dive position with talons menacingly extended!

I was jogging at the time and didn't have my camera with me.

Don

I love those shots that are missed. All the elements in the right place, the perfect shot with no shutter sound.

They stay in the mind, etched in our memory, the clarity exceding anything that the best lenses, the best film could ever capture.

I can see them in my minds eye, because I was in the moment, not looking through a viewfinder, not distracted by the process.

Love them. A moment in time captured untill we leave this mortal coil.

Jeremy, I feel like you've read my mind. :) I fully agree.

In the late evening sun, on a snow-covered hillock, way up here on the frozen archipelagos off the north coast of Scotland, a black Shetland pony stallion stood up on his hind legs. The wind blew his long thick mane up off the beautiful, powerful curve of his crest and his nostrils flared vivid red as he called to his mares to gather round......

Guess which Disco Dolly didn't have a camera with her whilst she went to pick up the ma-in-law from her weekly social >:-(

nice story Corinne, made me smile

Nice thread.

This reminds me of something I discovered a long time ago and forgot about until now - Unphotographable - A text account of pictures missed.

I never go out without my camera!!!!! Never!:-)

Still dont get that shot!:-) LOL!

Robert

So far mine's the shot where I have an empty road running through the middle of the image. Exactly above the road a line runs through the sky with day on one side and night on the other...

I actually encountered it once or twice while having a camera with me, but the road and the line in the sky weren't exactly parallel and the film in the camera was Kodak Gold 200 so it probably would have messed up the beauty of the moment (that film is awful in low light!).

Luckily I've got an appointment with a friend to go there sometime during summer, sit, wait and hope for the best :).

And then there's also midnight salsa dancing at the shore of the West Lake in Hangzhou with my ex-girlfriend, but it's really hard to take a good photo when you're participating ;).

Thanks for this thread, I just noticed it now, but it made me remember some of the best times in my life :).

Joost