Ever miss a shot because it no longer exists?

[rthomas]

I live in Charlotte, NC, a city famous for tearing down historic buildings. Lately it's even started tearing down recent constructions (like our "new" coliseum, torn down a mere 20 years after it was built). I miss shots for this reason all the time.

[photomc]

Yes, and even if not torn down..many buildings lose their character when they are 'saved' by the well meaning. Of course these days fires/flood/storms are always a risk to take away a future photograph.

[Sirius Glass]

I was going into day job yesterday and they were doing some landscaping to the office building. They took out two trees and some shrubs to make way for who knows what. Luckily I had just taken a shot that I wanted to for a while a few weeks ago of those trees and shrubs that are now history. I thought "wow, good thing I didn't wait any longer to get that shot". You can see the image and some comments on my blog.

I was just wondering does anyone else have a story of "oh, I can come back later/tomorrow and get that shot." and then it's just plain gone? I've learned my lesson, if I see a shot take it or you may not ever get another chance.

D.

Just scan your negative and put the trees back in with Photo$hop. That is what the digi-snappers call photography!

[Bateleur]

I wish I had a time machine to go back for a week's photography in the
1960's.....I was too young then to be interested in photography, but wish now that I had good colour pictures of (amongst other things) the steam railway locomotives and other industrial subjects which were vanishing in that decade.

I too often wish for such a time machine. Back to the sixties and beyond with a camera around my neck and lots of film available.

[sly]

Last spring I took a 4x5 photo of a flowering plum leaning over a gate. There was a defect in the middle of the film (I won't buy Rollei anymore, though I have quite a bit of it left. About 1/3 has same defect.)

Took a long drive to go back this spring to reshoot when trees were in bloom.Winter wind storms had taken their toll, gate was down and half disassembled, tree had lost branches and looked quite scruffy. Very sad.

[TSSPro]

Im surprised that no one has mentioned Eugene Atget. He spent a lifetime trying to photograph the Paris he loved and grew-up with before it was gone. His whole goal was to photograph things before it was too late. Even though he devoted himself to his goal, I'm sure there are plenty of missed opportunites too.

[Monophoto]

The first year our son was in college in Providence, RI, we scheduled a winter vacation on Cape Cod (it's possible to find a place to park during that season). We stopped at Nauset Light in the National Seashore to photograph the lighthouse and the edge of the steep cliff overlooking the Atlantic. It was a bitterly cold day, so I only exposed one 4x5 sheet. I processed it and made some prints when we got home - I really liked the result, but because of some flaws in that one negative, the prints required extensive, tedious spotting.

We were back the next year, and we went back so that I could photograph the lighthouse again.

But it had been moved.