I Give Up

danny_bhoy

danny_bhoy

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It was on my mind all day at work today. I checked weather forecast, cloud cover, route planner, traffic conditions, tide times on the hour every hour. The forecast was for a clear, dry night so I thought, this is it, this is when I'll get my landscape mojo back. Milky Way here I come!

Put the kids to bed, left the mrs watching X Factor and set off on the 2 hour trip to Dunstanburgh. Arrived there, parked up and set off on the half hour walk to the castle. In the pitch black no less. Only ended up finding it as I knew it was at the other end of the gold course so followed the flags in descending order!

You could see the Milky Way with the naked eye when I got to the castle, it was awesome!

Cracked oped my bag, went to put the camera on the tripod......no QR plate. Took it off for a wedding yesterday. Gave up and went home after trying to prop the camera up on various rocks etc.

Just got home and have to be up for work again in about 4 hours.

Landscape photography - I think it's time we took a break. It's not you, it's me. It's just not working.
 
Danny - this might be sensitive, so please don't take it the wrong way.

With the mindset you had, what great photos did you miss? There, on the way there, or on the way back.
 
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what a girl............... go on then give up..... the rest of us mere mortals who make the same mistakes will keeep on trying.. but you go put your best blouse on and give it all up...


try turning up at a photo shoot with no memory cards so cant take a shot then come back cryiing :)
 
That must of been a real downer! But... When I go on long journeys to take some photos I ALWAYS double check the essentials. It goes without saying.
 
KIPAX said:
what a girl............... go on then give up..... the rest of us mere mortals who make the same mistakes will keeep on trying.. but you go put your best blouse on and give it all up...


try turning up at a photo shoot with no memory cards so cant take a shot then come back cryiing :)
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Have you considered volunteering at the Samaritans? :)

I know I was being a bit dramatic and the chances of me packing in landscapes are slim to none - but at midnight, sat in the car on the drive last night, I could have thrown my gear in the wheelie bin before going in the house :)
 
Reminds me of the time when me and the Mrs went down to Dartmoor for a weekend. We went to Lydford Gorge before going to the inn we were staying at and I got all my gear out the car to find that my wife had taken the tripod out. I assumed it was still in the boot cos that's where I left it from the last shoot.
 
Raptor Mike said:
Reminds me of the time when me and the Mrs went down to Dartmoor for a weekend. We went to Lydford Gorge before going to the inn we were staying at and I got all my gear out the car to find that my wife had taken the tripod out. I assumed it was still in the boot cos that's where I left it from the last shoot.
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I've been corrected. She took the tripod bag out of the car at home, but when we got back from the trip the tripod wasn't in its bag anyway, lol. Can't argue it cos she's got a better memory. Anyway, try taking a long exposure of the white last waterfall with no tripod lol
 
Stuart M said:
I leave my QR plate attached to the camera so I can't forget it. I just forget to take something else instead like the cable release or the right lens or a spare battery or ...
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Normally I would Stuart but I took it off for a wedding at the weekend - just easier when the camera has to be rested on tables etc.

Think we both need to draw up a checklist :)
 
When I saw the thread title, I thought it was one of my threads!! :LOL:

I've been there though. Went on a drive, got to where I wanted, even set my shot up. Display on camera read.... -E- . No memory card. :bang:

I feel your pain.
 
Raptor Mike said:
I've been corrected...
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Haha :)

Tried in vain to prop the camera up against trees, rocks, walls....even tried making some sorta elaborate rig with the camera strap and a fence post - not easy in the pitch black. In the end I rested the camera LCD side down pointing straight in the air and got my one and only Milky Way shot that way, needless to say there's no foreground interest :)
 
gazmorton2000 said:
When I saw the thread title, I thought it was one of my threads!! :LOL:

I've been there though. Went on a drive, got to where I wanted, even set my shot up. Display on camera read.... -E- . No memory card. :bang:

I feel your pain.
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Haha I thought of you while I was writing the title Gareth :)

Gutted. Don't you just feel like kicking the tripod legs out from under the camera and leaving it in a crumpled heap :)
 
aww mate i feel for you , its a mistake most of us have made , I spent 2 hours getting into an abandoned church one to find i had no memory cards due to taking them all out for a wedding , you tend to prep a lot more precisely for weddings ! having said that i always leave my qr plate on camera even for weddings it doesnt get in the way so no matter.

If it makes you feel better and you fancy another shot i want some milky ways at dunstanburgh or maybe saltwick if your up for it ...
 
Andrew Davies Photography said:
aww mate i feel for you , its a mistake most of us have made , I spent 2 hours getting into an abandoned church one to find i had no memory cards due to taking them all out for a wedding , you tend to prep a lot more precisely for weddings ! having said that i always leave my qr plate on camera even for weddings it doesnt get in the way so no matter.

If it makes you feel better and you fancy another shot i want some milky ways at dunstanburgh or maybe saltwick if your up for it ...
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Cheers Andrew, it my fault for being too blasé - the tripod was in the boot and I just assumed the QR plate was attached. You know what they say about assuming right :)

Definitely, I'll drop you a PM next time I'm heading up there. It's taken me months to find time for this one though so don't wait for me! :)
 
Been there done that, well similar, for me it was a memory card. Now i keep at least one spare in my bag at all times, next to the spare qr plate for my tripod ;).
 
mac124 said:
Been there done that, well similar, for me it was a memory card. Now i keep at least one spare in my bag at all times, next to the spare qr plate for my tripod ;).
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Forgetting memory cards seems to be a common theme, I'm yet to experience that one.

Goint to put spares of all the little things like memory cards, QR plate, remote release, lens cloths etc and leave them in a little bag in the cars glove box.
 
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Ahhhh, if it's not photography it's something else, S*** happens sometimes no matter how hard we try ........... lol. I know it feels really crappy at the time but you just get on with it, then when you take that cracker of a shot you say to yourself that it's all worth it :D
 
That's what gaffa tape was invented for....

I always have a roll in the van for general fixings and jury rigging, and on one occasion, with a broken tripod, that did a pretty good job of securing the camera to the head for me.

It's also been used to repair torn waterproofs, strap a loose sole back on a boot and bend back a branch that was in the wrong place.
 
Stuart M said:
I leave my QR plate attached to the camera so I can't forget it. I just forget to take something else instead like the cable release or the right lens or a spare battery or ...
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This. I have a spare that I leave on the tripod as well.

I have also tried to get into the habit of putting everything where it should go once I have done with the camera.
 
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Wayland said:
That's what gaffa tape was invented for....

I always have a roll in the van for general fixings and jury rigging, and on one occasion, with a broken tripod, that did a pretty good job of securing the camera to the head for me.

It's also been used to repair torn waterproofs, strap a loose sole back on a boot and bend back a branch that was in the wrong place.
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I'll add a roll of gaffa tape to the check list :)
 
Sectionate said:
This. I have a spare that I leave on the tripod as well.

I have also tried to get into the habit of putting everything where it should go once I have done with the camera.
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I have two so one should always be attached to the tripod really.

It's a good habit to get into - when I first started I used to clean my gear rigorously after every outing too....that habit soon faded.
 
Forgetting one thing isn't too bad, I once forgot everything! I had been out taking landscape photos with the girfriend one evening and then we stayed at hers for the night. The next day we decided to go to a lake about an hour away, so I put my camera in her boot and we drove to my house so that I could drive to the lake. We got to my house and we jumped in my car and drove on. Got to the lake and opened my boot to find it completely empty as I had left all my gear in her boot back at my house!

I find landscape photography is a hobby of ups and downs. So many times I've woken up at stupid-am and driven for an hour to the coast just to find the weather forecaster has lied to me and the sunrise is just a blanket of grey cloud. Like others have said it sometimes makes me just want to stick all my gear on ebay and forget about photography completely.

My advice: Get back on the horse! Next time you get the chance, put the kids to bed and say goodbye to the mrs. Drive back to that castle and get the photo you deserve. When you get home and look at the photos on your computer screen, I can gaurantee there will be a giant smile on your face and you'll be glad you did it.
 
And if that doesn't work, heres' a cheesy quote from Rocky Balboa...

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!"

:p
 
danny_bhoy said:
It was on my mind all day at work today. I checked weather forecast, cloud cover, route planner, traffic conditions, tide times on the hour every hour. The forecast was for a clear, dry night so I thought, this is it, this is when I'll get my landscape mojo back. Milky Way here I come!

Put the kids to bed, left the mrs watching X Factor and set off on the 2 hour trip to Dunstanburgh. Arrived there, parked up and set off on the half hour walk to the castle. In the pitch black no less. Only ended up finding it as I knew it was at the other end of the gold course so followed the flags in descending order!

You could see the Milky Way with the naked eye when I got to the castle, it was awesome!

Cracked oped my bag, went to put the camera on the tripod......no QR plate. Took it off for a wedding yesterday. Gave up and went home after trying to prop the camera up on various rocks etc.

Just got home and have to be up for work again in about 4 hours.

Landscape photography - I think it's time we took a break. It's not you, it's me. It's just not working.
Click to expand...

Always remember the 7 P's!


I always reset and check everything before I go, luckliy for astro stuff I travel fairly light, tripod, camera, 14mm lens, cable release, Release plate. Format memory cards and charge batteries before I go...

Although I only do this after doing what you did, by forgetting to take a memory card once.....
 
Carl Hall said:
Forgetting one thing isn't too bad, I once forgot everything! I had been out taking landscape photos with the girfriend one evening and then we stayed at hers for the night. The next day we decided to go to a lake about an hour away, so I put my camera in her boot and we drove to my house so that I could drive to the lake. We got to my house and we jumped in my car and drove on. Got to the lake and opened my boot to find it completely empty as I had left all my gear in her boot back at my house!

I find landscape photography is a hobby of ups and downs. So many times I've woken up at stupid-am and driven for an hour to the coast just to find the weather forecaster has lied to me and the sunrise is just a blanket of grey cloud. Like others have said it sometimes makes me just want to stick all my gear on ebay and forget about photography completely.

My advice: Get back on the horse! Next time you get the chance, put the kids to bed and say goodbye to the mrs. Drive back to that castle and get the photo you deserve. When you get home and look at the photos on your computer screen, I can gaurantee there will be a giant smile on your face and you'll be glad you did it.
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Cheers Carl - had a look at your website and you've got some great images on there. Although with you living down south and me up north, I'd wager that I've been dissapointed with that grey cloud blanket more times than you :)

Carl Hall said:
And if that doesn't work, heres' a cheesy quote from Rocky Balboa...

"Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that!"

:p
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One of my favourite films.....if that doesn't give me a kick up the jacksy nothing will! (y)
 
danny_bhoy said:
Although with you living down south and me up north, I'd wager that I've been dissapointed with that grey cloud blanket more times than you :)
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You win though, your scenery is much better 'ooop north. It's all flat and covered in trees/houses/supermarkets/car parks down here....
 
keety said:
Always remember the 7 P's!


I always reset and check everything before I go, luckliy for astro stuff I travel fairly light, tripod, camera, 14mm lens, cable release, Release plate. Format memory cards and charge batteries before I go...

Although I only do this after doing what you did, by forgetting to take a memory card once.....
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That was more or less my setup and even travelling that light I still managed to forget something!

Next time the other half will be putting the kids to bed while I do my pre-flight checks! :)
 
Danny in the word of that imortal saying just can;t get the staff , seriously though the wedding would need your complete concentration for a number of reasons.
As you can do without anything going wrong on the day,imagine no second chance with weddings.
Onwards and upwards Danny all the best mate.
GEORGE.
 
HYLTON GEORGE said:
Danny in the word of that imortal saying just can;t get the staff , seriously though the wedding would need your complete concentration for a number of reasons.
As you can do without anything going wrong on the day,imagine no second chance with weddings.
Onwards and upwards Danny all the best mate.
GEORGE.
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You're right George, I have been hugely pre-occupied with that side of things lately - that's what happens when you take your eye off the ball though! :)
 
danny_bhoy said:
Cheers Andrew, it my fault for being too blasé - the tripod was in the boot and I just assumed the QR plate was attached. You know what they say about assuming right :)

Definitely, I'll drop you a PM next time I'm heading up there. It's taken me months to find time for this one though so don't wait for me! :)
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I will be having an outing one night this week or next just depending on weather , was the milky way visible over the castle when you went or were you looking back over ( north )
 
Andrew Davies Photography said:
I will be having an outing one night this week or next just depending on weather , was the milky way visible over the castle when you went or were you looking back over ( north )
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It was back over the castle so had to walk a bit past it and around towards the beach if that makes sense.

The gates are locked at that time of night but it's only a little fence ;)

It's awesome even with the naked eye!
 
danny_bhoy said:
I have two so one should always be attached to the tripod really.

It's a good habit to get into - when I first started I used to clean my gear rigorously after every outing too....that habit soon faded.
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Yeah, I keep one on the tripod all the time, means if I grab it in a hurry I won't get caught short.

I have never cleaned my gear, I had to fish my lens hood from a sump that it had sat in for 6 months. It still bears the grime of that adventure.

#battlescars
 
I had something similar by driving 2 hrs to an amazing bluebell wood (name escapes me, in Hertfordshire) with the missus and the dog, got there to find no battery! Oh how I wasn't popular, with myself or her! Especially as I missed an amazing deer in the bluebells shot as we went for our walk...
 
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