Poll of forgetfulness — items lost, dropped, or left behind

[lenser]

Found, not lost.

My first wife and I were camping in Aspen Glenn campground in Rocky Mountain National Park in the early seventies. We took a short hike into the forest and stumbled on a tripod with RB67 and lens attached just sitting in the middle of a clearing. No sign of anyone nearby, so I took a very close look at the set-up as RB's were quite new to me at the time. Then with great envy for whomever owned it, kept on our hike. It was gone when we came back a short time later, so I hope the rightful owner was the one who took it away.

[BetterSense]

Just earlier today I left my Canonet QL17GIII sitting by the change machine at the car wash. I went back immediately and luckily it was still sitting there. The sad thing is I made a mental note to myself not to forget it.

[Rick A]

Worst I've ever done was leave a really nice pair of gloves on the roof of my car then drive away. I have found a really nice Citizen chronograph in the Gunnison River when fly fishing (20 years ago and still holds perfect time) and a Winchester model 70 300 mag with Nikon scope leaning against a tree beside a parking area. Would love to have owned that, but turned it over to the state police to try to return it to its rightful owner. I dont know if they found its owner, but I never saw it again (kinda hoped noone claimed it so it would come home to me)

[BrianShaw]

I dropped a flash down a mine shaft once.

But lost anything?... not that I know of.

[matthew blais]

Lost a few minor items over the years...

Went into the field several times and forgot a loupe and ended up screwing off the lens from a Pentax Spot meter V...works pretty good

[Brian Ellis]

If it can be left behind or lost I've left it or lost it. But the one closest to yours was in my 35mm days when I left a Nikdon F4 and lens sitting on a log on a beach in Maine. A couple hours later I realized my camera bag was feeling a lot lighter than usual. I retraced all my stops, ended up back at the beach, and there was my camera and lens right where I left them. Maine people are the greatest.

[Heroique]

Oh yeah – I’ve also forgotten string. Actually, heavy twine. Great for gently pulling branches from your view in thick forests. Or, into your view…

Once, I pulled-back and tied-down a Yellow Poplar branch. When I left, I didn’t just forget the string, I forgot to un-tie the branch! And I wasn’t able to return to this high-mountain spot for a year. I worried about that poor branch the whole time. I had nightmares about this. Really, I did. (What I really “left behind” wasn’t the string, it was peace of mind.)

I finally returned, found it still tied, and quickly released it from its year-long bondage. And I apologized. Over and over. The branch seemed quite forgiving. It had grown several inches longer, looked very healthy, and swung right back into place. That’s the last time I’ll forget string!

[sultanofcognac]

I was given a Nikon Astroscope night vision lens to review from a company called Electrophysics. After playing with in my yard I though I'd shoot in the vineyards under the full moon. "Better yet!", I thought, "I'll take a 4x5 shot of it on the Nikon in the vineyards". I knew they'd love that.

So I of course took the dogs, the VERY expensive lens on the Nikon and my 4x5 kit out into the vineyards and began to play in the light of the full moon (how romantic). The pointer-lab mix dog chased a few rabbits and we were all having a great time until a family of wild boar sauntered into our 'arena'. (this is true!)

In the ensuing confusion one dog knocked the 4x5 tripod but I caught it <whew> before anything bad happened. I hung the Nikon and the $3500 lens onto a vine pole and put the 4x5 kit away into its case(s).

The dogs were still barking and jumping around a safe distance from the boar. I grabbed them and the 4x5 and hustled home, just glad neither of the dogs were attacked. . . leaving the Nikon and lens hanging in the vineyards. I had a glass or two of pastis to calm the dogs down and got busy with some other work before going to bed.

Around 11 am one of the viticulturists came to our gate with the camera (and lens) - knowing that I'm the only photographer in the region - and surely the only one daft enough to leave a camera in the vineyards! I had to tell him that I was testing the weather seals - actually, my French wasn't very good at the time, I may have said I was testing my underwear seals or something!

[Vaughn]

Along the lines of #13, I took a photograph or two from a high perspective of some lions and a mission in Arizona. The results are here: http://www.largeformatphotography.in...75&postcount=2

There were a few people about. After the above shot, I put the 5x7 camera over my shoulder and walked down to the mission, checking out the backside, looking for AA's tripod holes, and eventually wound up in front and set up the camera. After getting the shot frames and focused, I reached into my pack to grab my meter and -- no meter, no camera pack! At first I thought someone snuck up on me while I was under the darkcloth and stole it. (very possible!) Finally realized that I had left it up by the lions about 45 minutes earlier. I grabbed the camera, rushed up there and fortunately it was right where I had left it, undistrurbed.

Once, I realized I had left all of my 8x10 film holders at home after driving 300 miles of a 400 mile trip to Yosemite. I watched (and said goodby to) the lens cap for my Digital Spot meter roll and bounce its way down a rocky face at Pinnacles National Monument.

And if cable releases could land on the ground and start to sprout, my name would be Johnny Cable Release.

Vaughn

[jnantz]

sekonic light meter ....
but it was left behind in the studio
when i was shooting on location ..