D'Oh!

We all make mistakes. And in the last couple of weeks I have been well aware that I am included in the "all" of that statement.

I know, I know. Seems impossible doesn't it that I might make a mistake . . . or two . . . or more. but I do.

In a recent post, I described my stay at the Alvord Desert as very windy. So windy, that when I turned my back to grab a filter, a gust came up and pushed the tripod over with the camera mounted to the top. Camera is ok (although it was already held together with hot pink duct tape) but the tripod, not so much. Did I mention it was my boss' tripod that I had borrowed after mine fell apart in December?

Two pieces of equipment are now held together with hot pink duct tape.

No worries. I continue on.

And I did. The above image is from the morning after the tripod incident, just before the sun rose above the clouds.

However, my learning experiences don't stop at battered equipment.

Last week I posted a link to an article by the photography forum LightStalking on my FaceBook page. The article was titled "10 Items a Photographer Should Never Leave Home Without!" Complete with and exclamation point for added emphasis.

Read the list. It's full of those no-brainers that I thought "Oh, Yeah. I always have those."

HA!

Item number 2 is spare memory cards. Well this past weekend as I was leading a hike up to the magnificent views on Mt Townsend, I noticed a red blinking light in my viewfinder. I finally looked at the blinking light and it read NO CARD.

What?!?! I thought for sure I had replaced the card. And did I have a spare? Of course not. All I could do was grumble and growl at myself and finish the hike. I was a little embarrassed, as I billed the hike as a photographer's delight. The folks who remembered their cards were delighted with the trip.

All my images of that trip will have to reside in my mind. And I hope they reside there for a long time - it was a photographer's paradise.