up the creek ... need couch

[reagan]

I am soooo far up the creek right now with no sign of a paddle. I'm not even sure my little darlin' is going to allow me couch accomodations.

We just returned from visiting our daughter and newborn [first] grandson. Of course, I took along a bucket of gear to appropriately document the joyous occasion. On a whim and at the last minute I threw into said bucket my trusty ol' Canon AE1 that has seen both my brother and I through many hiking/camping trips as well as other diverse vacations and family gatherings. Not once has it ever let either of us down.

Well it did this time. *double bang* :bang: :bang:

After returning from our glorious family time and having the film processed, the one roll shot through the Canon had in fact NOT been shot through the Canon. It was completely blank. An entire pile of grandson/granddaughters/new mom/new dad/happy grandma shots GONE FOREVER! 😱

I've only loaded this camera about a thousand times, never had any problems or glitches. But the one time it can actually get my butt in a sling - it just lays down and pukes.

Yes, I know. Of course it was pilot error. The blame can be laid nowhere else. But golly.gee.fishhooks!! If the little rascal is gonna start gettin' finnicky about how ya load film into it, it coulda given me a heads up, ay?

I still came home with a few grand.manchild pics out of the Leica and Zorki ... and they're good ones. But the ones my wife really wanted to see are [of course] the ones that shall never be seen.

Lessons Learned:
(1) Never trust a camera that's younger than I am.
(2) Never leave home without an RF. (thank God.)
(3) Never say, "Ah, two rolls should be enough. We got plenty of good shots."
(4) Never have just one couch. 😎

Can I get a witness? Anyone else ever botched family photos, or am I the Lone Choker?

 

[swoop]

I've only misloaded once. And my then girlfriend never let me hear the end of it. The shots weren't anything of importance. But the event taught me to always make sure that little rewind wheel is spinning after I load a new roll.

 

[Keith]

Reagan ... it's your own fault for not posting regularly enough here of late! Obviously not thinking about cameras enough and lack of dexterity caused by insufficient keyboard activity can lead to this sort of thing happening.

No sympathy from me sorry ... re-organise your prorities man before it's too late! 😛

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Get right back on the horse and ride it next weekend.

 

[PlantedTao]

ouch, sorry to hear that... hopefully the wife will not make you switch to digital to make sure this never happens again 🙂
It seems I have not had much luck with family pictures ever coming out... but that is based on me being a poor portrait photographer. Luckily my wife knows I am just having fun and there is never a guarantee my photos will turn out... and I got her a digital to make sure something is captured and she is happy 🙂

I hope your other roll is so impressive she forgets that there were other photos.
Good Luck.

 

[David William White]

One time many, many years ago at a wedding, the minister handed me his SLR and told me to shoot while he married his son off. I took some marvelous pictures, closeups, expressions, the critical ring and kiss moments, the whole works. The frame counter went past 36 but I had no problem taking even more...each shot increased the doubt that was growing in me.

Well, at least it wasn't my fault there was no film in the camera. Granny had a disc camera with some crappy pictures on it, and that had to suffice.

When I got my first SLR, I kept the rewind knob extended so I could see it spinning 'round as I shot.

 

[sevo]

(5) Never suppose that a camera works, but check and double check it.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

Yep, get the wife a compact P&S and then do your thing with a clear conscience.

 

[back alley]

there IS something to be said for digital after all...

sorry for the bad luck.

 

[sevo]

there IS something to be said for digital after all...

... in that a blank card can be reused, while a blank film cannot, unless you spot the error before developing! 😀

Sevo

 

[sweathog]

I've never botched anything important, but one roll which I really wish I had for sentimental reasons came out unexposed.
Bizarrely, also in an AE1...

 

[aad]

I did a wedding-made an error and lost a roll containing some "wow" shots. I thought I would die of embarrassment and shame.

I did manage with all the other shots and presentation-no complaints from the couple at all-but it still bugs me.

 

[sevo]

I once lost half a session with the Sugarcubes to a broken camera (and the obvious stupid user error of not checking the kit beforehand). The shots from the 2nd camera were fine - but you still feel silly when you lose 50% of the material on a magazine cover shot session.

Sevo

 

[Roger Hicks]

We've all screwed up at one time or another.

Worse still, some of us have had to reshoot paid assignments.

Tashi delek,

R.

 

[climbing_vine]

This happened to me on my formerly trusty Hi-Matic 9, which was roughed up by Greek immigration and had to be repaired when my wife and I got to the hotel... on our honeymoon. I didn't get one of the contacts quite right.

My FED, on the other hand, has never proven to be anything other than perfect. Either the shutter is opening and closing and the film is advancing, or it isn't, and it isn't hard to tell the difference.

My new rule of thumb is to have no-electricity and digital when things are really, really critical. I use the partially-electronic (an OM-2 these days) when I can afford to lose the shots. Usually because I also have the Canon digital elph in my pocket and am using it as "backup".

 

[cysasam]

The frame counter went past 36 but I had no problem taking even more...each shot increased the doubt that was growing in me.

Exactly the same thing happened to me when I photographed my (then) girlfriend while she was the host of a show. Ten years on, she wouldn't let me forget - guess that's one function of a wife.🙄

 

[gb hill]

I grabbed my AE-1p one time thinking there was film in it. After several shots it hit me. 'this winder sure is smooth' No Film! Happened with some shots my wife wanted. She got over it!😉

 

[naruto]

Yep, get the wife a compact P&S and then do your thing with a clear conscience.

I concur. 🙂

 

[reagan]

thanks to all for sympathies 😱

sweathog & gb hill - could it be an AE1 conspiracy? methinks it could! And another killer is, I check and double check those ol' Soviet & German RFs with all the above mentioned trix (spinning rewind knob, crank and crank again before closing, yadda-yadda, etc.) for fear that "something could go wrong" with one of my precious dinosaurs. But the trusty Canon? naaaaa -- it's never had a problem. duh.

Reagan ... it's your own fault for not posting regularly enough here of late! Obviously not thinking about cameras enough and lack of dexterity caused by insufficient keyboard activity can lead to this sort of thing happening. No sympathy from me sorry ... re-organise your prorities man before it's too late! 😛

Ahhh, my true friend and wise Zen.RFer sees the lone causal misstep at the core of my catastrophic, wretched blunder and woe. "No typie-typie; no clicky-clicky." Thank you my brother. I will do my utmost to repent in sackcloth and ashes. :angel: