Ah, travel photography. The pursuit of capturing stunning sunsets, majestic landscapes, and that perfect Instagrammable moment. But let’s be honest, it’s not all glamorous locations and envy-inducing feeds. Sometimes, travel photography involves a healthy dose of self-deprecation and the occasional misplaced (or should I say, lost?) piece of equipment.
Here’s a glimpse into my personal hall of shame, a collection of the most ridiculous photography gear I’ve managed to lose while jet-setting around the globe, or even just driving across the country.
Crikey! Where’d the Dundee Go? (Far North Queensland)
Ah, the thrill of wildlife photography! The adrenaline rush of capturing a predator in its natural habitat. Well, that was the plan, at least. This time, however, my FNQ adventure turned into a classic case of digital disaster.
Imagine the scene: I’m on the edge of my seat, heart pounding, camera gripped in sweaty hands. There he is – a magnificent crocodile, and a croc handler, a true “Dundee” in the making, lumbering from the water. This is IT – the shot I’ve been waiting for! I slam my finger down on the shutter button, unleashing a burst mode frenzy worthy of a paparazzi pit. Hundreds of frames captured, perfectly documenting the croc’s every menacing move.
Except… in my excitement (and maybe a touch of heatstroke), I make a rookie mistake. Instead of waiting to turn my camera off before it finished writing to the card, to quickly change an almost dead battery. I mean I didn’t want to miss any of the action. The camera clicks ominously, the red light blinks mockingly, and my heart sinks faster than a stone in a croc-infested billabong. None of those shots saved properly!!!
Did I just dump the digital equivalent of Steve Irwin wrangling a grumpy saltie? You bet I did. Hundreds of action shots, gone. Poof. Vanished into the digital abyss. Thankfully I threw in a spare SD Card (and a fresh battery) and kept shooting, But I had already lost those first killer shots.
The Great Lens Cap Caper (Willunga Beach, South Australia)
Gorgeous beach at sunset? Check. Even a romantic stroll along the water’s edge? Check. Lens cap mysteriously MIA? Double check. Apparently, my lens cap needed a permanent beach vacation. I’m sure it’s buried in the sand there somewhere. I also lost the Allen key from my tripod there too. I hope the Allen key and lens cap will be very happy there. It is a beautiful spot.
The Disappearing Drone Debacle (Port Arthur, Tasmania)
Imagine soaring over the breathtaking coast of Tasmania, capturing the dramatic landscapes from a bird’s-eye view. Except, my drone control skills resembled that of a drunken bumblebee. I didn’t know that the cliffs were made of some mineral that interfered with Wi-Fi signals. One wrong nudge on the joystick, and poof – drone went rogue, disappearing into the vast southern ocean. It would probably still be circling somewhere over the Bass Strait if an errant buffeting breeze blew it far enough out to see to get signal back. I flew it up high and over the cliffs to bring it back in. But it was close!
Lessons Learned (Maybe)
These travel photography mishaps have certainly taught me a valuable lesson (or two). Triple-check your memory cards and don’t turn the camera off before it’s finished writing the images. Lens caps and fallen keys are not optional (and have a tendency to wander). And maybe, just maybe, leave the drone piloting to the professionals.
So, the next time you see a travel photographer looking slightly bewildered, don’t judge. They might just be reminiscing about the time their camera equipment went on an unplanned adventure of its own. Because hey, at least the travel stories are unforgettable, even if the photos aren’t.
A beautiful Nikon lens cap, lies somewhere down in the tiger enclosure of a Midwestern zoo. No I wasn’t doing anything foolish – just leaning over the rail getting ready for a great shot – when I realized the lens cap was still on – and tried to casually remove it without being noticed. PING – there it went…
Oh No, Jim you too? Although I can’t say I’ve ever lost a lens cape in a tiger enclosure lol. At least it makes for an interesting story
It was a beautiful spring evening in Paris, tripod ready, crisp air, wonderful starbursts showing on the camera. Everything was set to get some wonderful shots outside The Louvre. Shooting away to my hearts content while my soul was soaring with these amazing shots that I was going to show family and friends of our last night in Paris. Then back to the hotel to pack and head to the airport. Once settled on the plane, I excitedly took a good look at the photos. Forgetting that I had reset my camera settings earlier in the day as I was… Read more »
No!!!!!! heartbreaking! Oh Sue, I’m so sorry to hear this, I’m sure it would have been amazing. Makes my issues seem a little silly. It’s heartbreaking when this happens. I once reset my camera and forgot it was in JPG and had similar happen, but it was nothing really important. Yours is terrible and I WOULD HAVE CRIED! I hope you have reset it to Raw now?
Ha – yes a few years ago now. Lesson learnt the hard way.
For sure…one no-one would repeat (I hope)!
Join the club. I did the same thing, and also in Paris (yes really), many years ago. And I have the tiny JPGs to prove it.
And you know, if they’re only going to be seen in Facebook, it’s almost ok. Almost.
Oh No, you too Jim? heartbreaking. Have you tried enlarging them with something like Gigapixel?
Actually that would be interesting. But this was 20 years ago – only my second digital camera – so when I say “small” I mean 1280 pixels across😢
Hey Jim, if you want to send me a couple I’d love to see what I can do, even write a post about it (with credit to your images, of course)…as a follow up post. No pressure only if you’re interested? Email [email protected]
Just emailed you one of them. Have fun!
Got it, thanks Jim…stay tuned