Should have been ready

[sun of sand]

I slipped on loose gravel while crossing the meadow and cracked a rib

don't buy a motorcycle

[Ed Kelsey]

Maybe carry a gun ?

[Bill Burk]

The Joel-Peter Witkin look isn't what I'm going for.

[rdenney]

"Better to have a good memory than a bad photograph." John Sexton

Though I agree with the sentiment, he might as well have said that it's better not to be old.

Even bad photographs provide an opportunity to relive pleasant moments in our lives.

Rick "what that me?" Denney

[Peter De Smidt]

A few years ago we visited London. In Trafalgar Square, my wife was going to climb up on one of the lions for a traditional tourist photo. While she was trying to get into position, a 20ish year old German lady put both hand on Janice's posterior and gave her a push up. Despite my being ready with a camera, I missed it. Doh!

[dperez]

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....

Crows steal the eggs of other birds as well.

[mandoman7]

You never see dead crows on the street. They always get out of the way in time. That might be an interesting series...crows on the roadside shot with a remote trigger.

[Scott Walker]

Me & this little critter have a long history of missed photo opportunities. He lives on my farm and when he was learning to fly he hit the ground beside my house and was to scared to try flying again. About 10 hours later the sun was getting pretty low in the sky and even with mom & dad in nearby trees bitching him out all day he hadn't even moved so I called the fish cops to see what his chances were if he stayed on the ground overnight and it didn't sound good so with the recommendation from the fish cop I talked to I tried convincing him to climb on a stick so I could put him in a tree so the coyotes & cougars would not kill him. Needless to say that is not an easy thing to do and the stupid bird refused to climb onto a stick but he was rather fond of my foot so I let him clamp onto it and hopped over to a tree and got him up about 6 feet off the ground where he stayed for a couple of days. Not a single photo but I did manage to video the whole thing. (If you ever happen across a bird on the ground like this do not do what I did without protective gear as the parents of most birds of prey will try to kill you)

That was 5 years ago and he still lives in my yard. Every time there is a good sunset or cloud formation over the barns he seems to be perched in the perfect spot until I get my camera. He hates magpies and I have witnessed him killing at least a half dozen in mid air, no camera handy of course. He does however pay me back for saving his life every once in a while by eating one of my barn cats

[rguinter]

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

Missed that one...

I saw a crotch-rocket go by me on the highway once at afterburner speed.

His babe on the back had a bubble-butt bigger than the bike... looked like a flying super-butt.

Missed that one too..

But hey... who would want to see it more than once anyway?...

Bob G.

[rguinter]

"Better to have a good memory than a bad photograph." John Sexton

I agree.

One can't be ready (except by sheer luck) for many of those memorable moments.

Like the time I was standing in the fog, on the East Branch Penobscot up-river from my uncle's cabin, when the resident Eagle came through the sunrise fog, flipped his wings up, stopped in mid air, and did a 180 degree turn... all about 10-feet in front of my face.

Absolutely no way to be ready for one of those unless by absolute dumb luck or with thousands of hours waiting with automated equipment.

Bob G.