Should have been ready

[Bill Burk]

Out walking with my boy today and right at the end of the hike a bobcat walked towards us and paused for about 4 seconds.

At that point I was carrying a rangefinder 4x5 on my back. Several times during the hike I thought of taking it out and having it at the ready.

If I had listened to my inner voice, I would have had a chance to at least have a speck of a cat, and since it's 127mm it would have been as good on film as if I had carried a 35mm with similar telephoto attached.

But I missed the shot because the camera was on my back.

What should I swear to do better next time?

[madmax12]

I was on the boat fishing in Arizone left the camera in the truck focus on fishing DUUUUUHHHHHH. A falcon had caught a blue wing teal and was enjoying it for breakfast I watched it at 30 yds for 30 minutes . Never leave you camera except at the ready

[Ivan J. Eberle]

I've made a career out of photographing predators like bobcats. Even if you'd been at the ready with a 400mm telephoto, 4 seconds is awfully brief, and bobcats tend to look rather dinky in the frame until they're within about 25-30 feet. Chance encounters while hiking are pretty hit or miss and the cat usually looks freaked out in the image.

More hopeful news for you might be that they can be called quite close to the camera with artificial rabbit cries and mouse squeaks. I've had them linger at 8-12 feet for five minutes to a half an hour on several occasions.

[Ash]

carry a small format around your neck. I keep my camera in my bag and often have the same problem

[Leigh]

I carry little 12Mp p&s (blasphemy ) in my pocket at all times.

The image quality isn't up to my 8x10, but any shot is better than no shot.

- Leigh

[John Jarosz]

Enjoy the moment. You don't always have to take a photograph.

[ataim]

Enjoy the moment. You don't always have to take a photograph.

You sound like my wife But yes sometimes I don't smell the rose that I'm taking a picture of. I also carry a P&S most of the time.

[jwaddison]

I had a jaguar cross the road in front of my vehicle on a logging road in Guyana. I had my Nikon in my lap, with a 70-300 lens on it, and all I could do was sit there with my mouth open. The first big cat I've ever seen, and it was gorgeous. But, I doubt I could have duplicated the picture I have in my mind's eye.

[Frank Petronio]

Had a crow and hawk fight in the field across the street for 15-20 minutes, would have been enough time to go get a proper camera. It was super cool because the fellow crows were in the trees cawing for their buddy, just like ancient Rome.

PS root for the Crow, the Hawks steal their eggs. Crows are the smartest....

[Stephane]

Yesterday, walking down a deserted street of Oslo, I saw superman (with the cape) and spiderman on a tandem bicycle...

Missed that one...