chuckography

The Missed Photograph....

A friend asked me the other day if any photo opps come to mind that I had seen but did NOT snap.

Oh yeah.

This goes on all the time.

Even though I usually have my Canon S90 small digital camera with me, sometimes I'm driving and I skip a scene that looks good.

Or other safety considerations make me later regret I had not pulled over and captured a moment.

As a blogger, I often take a picture of a meal I'm about to enjoy. The wait staff at Big Billy's Burger Joint was amused. The small fry basket really caught my eye.

But, there are times I COULD have, SHOULD have but didn't click the shutter.

I had such a moment yesterday when I went to the post office and saw the second lady waiting in line was holding three large Mylar balloons bobbing on strings.

Each said HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

When I joined the line, I noticed one of the postal clerks had several balloons in his work space, including one that said "Happy Birthday, Randy."

That would have made a nice shot...she waiting in line, him smiling over at her. BUT, snapping pictures in the post office is intimidating so I merely watched as she told the next customer "go ahead, I'm waiting for him (pointing to Randy)."

She soon passed him the balloons, said a few words and left, laughing at his embarrassment.

I was next so, as I handed him the bubble-wrapped book I needed to mail. I said "Sorry, Randy, no balloons, but here's a present." He grinned and added the postage. I wished him a happy birthday.

A few months ago, I entered the Pour House music venue rather early, just a few people wandering around, and noticed what had to be one of the band members standing by himself at the bar drinking a beer.

He was clutching his highly-polished stand-up bass next to him.

Instead of taking his picture, I joined him, ordered a brew and said I assumed he was in the band. We both laughed, talked a few minutes and he hefted his bass fiddle and walked off to the backstage area.

Damn!

A fellow blogger admitted she had missed a great scene at a Civil War reenactment when a lady in a large Southern hoop skirt was trying to get into a porta-potty.

Maybe my friend was too intimidated.

Back when I was a staff photographer for a San Diego newspaper, we would keep an eye out for "filler" shots that could be dropped into the paper as a "feature."

We were not above staging a shot.

Well, never for a news photo. Journalistic ethics.

Luckily I saw this LONG dog and did snap the picture.

Labels: bacon and brie, bass fiddle, Civil War Reenactor, hoop skirt, long doggie, mylar balloons, Randy the Postal Clerk, stand-up bass, USPS

posted by chuckography @ 1:02 PM