Recently, while out scouting the area for some Open Source Photo Club homework shots (in this case, bridges), I found a bridge with potential over a stony brook (I’m sure it used to be a river) on my drive to work. After a few dozen shots from a few different angles, I was ready to leave, until I noticed that ‘one last shot’ I just had to get. I yanked my camera out of the bag… and along with it came my little 50mm lens.
It was totally one of those slow-motion moments. I gasped. I reached for it and… just missed catching it. “Noooooooooo!” went running through my mind. It bounced off a rock, and split into two pieces. The bigger section landed on another rock and began to fill with water. <*sigh*>
Worst photo of the day.
Here’s a shot taken after the damage.
The sad part is I didn’t use one single picture from that shoot. Nothing really stood out as a good shot.
I took the lens to work, let it completely dry out for a few hours, and after many attempts, I somehow managed to cram it together again. Does it work? Yes and no. Manual focus? No problem. Auto focus? It will not. It simply growls at me. So I growl back. (It’s not so tough.)
Busted 50mm lens working almost as good as new. (Now with manual focus only.)
The good news is, even though it was busted, it was repairable, as proven by this photo (taken indoors on some soft carpet).
I think about using that lens a lot more often now. And I like the fact that when I do I am forced to use the manual focus, because it’s helping me to become a better photographer.
So what’s the moral of the story? Be a little more careful when taking pictures? Okay, maybe that’s one way to look at things. But another view could be about people, and how even though we’re all busted or ‘broken’ at some point in life, there’s hope for reparation. And greater use after the fact.
