what happens when you drive 6 hours for your photo session only to find out.....

advnturer

Senior Member
what happens when you drive 6 hours for your photo session only to find out that you walked off without a memory card?

Here I was setting up for a shoot last Memorial Day and my camera beeped telling me to insert memory card. I had left my card pack sitting on my desk, and here I am 100 miles from the closest Walmart. Long story short, I drove into the village of Chama New Mexico knowing that it was a popular tourist destination... hoping to find camera supplies. To my disappointment, I was still without a SD card after checking every shop across from the Cumbres Toltec train station. However, as I was walking out of the last shop, a gentleman named Ralph walked up to me and pulled a SD card out of his Sony camera asking if that was what I was looking for. Long story short.... he took me to his car and handed me two 4GB card and said he did not need anything for them.

I learned two very valuable lessons that day... 1.) you can not have too many supplies as long as you have them with you and 2.) and more importantly, I am participating in a wonderful fraternity of bothers and sisters who love photography.

Here is the reason I drove 6 hours in an attempt to figure out how to take night time pictures. This is taken with a D3200, 28mm, 25 sec, 6400 ISO

EasternSkyMed.jpg

My last words to Ralph as he hurried to meet his family to catch the train was a promise that I will pay his kindness and generosity forward at first opportunity.
 

advnturer

Senior Member
I noticed the squares too. Not in the original picture at all. I just clicked on it and it brought up a picture without the squares.
 

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Interesting story that proves there are still good people in this world. As to the squares in the picture, that is strange.
 

Scott Murray

Senior Member
what happens when you drive 6 hours for your photo session only to find out that you walked off without a memory card?

Here I was setting up for a shoot last Memorial Day and my camera beeped telling me to insert memory card. I had left my card pack sitting on my desk, and here I am 100 miles from the closest Walmart. Long story short, I drove into the village of Chama New Mexico knowing that it was a popular tourist destination... hoping to find camera supplies. To my disappointment, I was still without a SD card after checking every shop across from the Cumbres Toltec train station. However, as I was walking out of the last shop, a gentleman named Ralph walked up to me and pulled a SD card out of his Sony camera asking if that was what I was looking for. Long story short.... he took me to his car and handed me two 4GB card and said he did not need anything for them.

I learned two very valuable lessons that day... 1.) you can not have too many supplies as long as you have them with you and 2.) and more importantly, I am participating in a wonderful fraternity of bothers and sisters who love photography.

Here is the reason I drove 6 hours in an attempt to figure out how to take night time pictures. This is taken with a D3200, 28mm, 25 sec, 6400 ISO

View attachment 214216

My last words to Ralph as he hurried to meet his family to catch the train was a promise that I will pay his kindness and generosity forward at first opportunity.
Great story, as for the photo I also see squares weird.

Also with your settings next time try this, f/2.8, ISO 3200, 20 - 30 sec Shutter speed.
 

paul04

Senior Member
Good story, and very good picture.

I had a habit of forgetting the memory card, so got a couple extra, and put one in each bag I have, so I know I always have a spare with me.
 

Danno

Senior Member
That is a good story... and I like your suggestion @paul04. You always have a spare in your bag and now with this story as an example you could have one to pay it forward. Thanks for sharing.
 

Needa

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Couldn't figure why you needed to drive 6 hours to photograph a sewer grate in the dark. :) Clicked on the photo as others indicated and the answer was revealed. Strange picture behavior.
Great story. The story made me go look to see what could be thrown in the bag for a back up, to date there has always been a least one card in my camera (dual slot). Checking out the junk drawer revealed there should be a matched set of 16MB card somewhere. Yes, they were already in the bag. it only took me 10 minutes to find them. Long forgotten deep in an inner pocket along with never opened batteries, which will be swapped with fresh. Thanks for the post, maybe I will remember if ever needed.
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
This is one of the nice things about the Fuji X 10. It has an internal memory that allows one to take 5 full resolution shots WITHOUT a memory card. It happened to me once. Hopefully, it won't happen to me again soon.
 

Roy1961

Senior Member
Contributor
Strange i see the squares while thru the forum via the www website, dont see them via tapatalk?

sent from Pandora's 'Mr Bean' blue lagoon.
 

WayneF

Senior Member
Here is the reason I drove 6 hours in an attempt to figure out how to take night time pictures. This is taken with a D3200, 28mm, 25 sec, 6400 ISO

It's a great story, and a couple of good lessons for us all.

I would comment that f/8 might not be the best choice for such pictures. It is of course always a good general idea to stop down a stop or two, but stars are surely the exception, f/8 makes it harder. Stars are the best case of using the lens wide open, and in fact, a f/2.8 lens wide open would be a good choice, and is 3 stops more light (8x more light) than f/8.
 

advnturer

Senior Member
Thanks Wayne and Scott. I have not shot night images before and got the f/8 at 6400 suggestions from a YouTube video. This week, I also replaced my D3200 with a D810, so along with your recommendations and my new camera, I have great expectations for my next trip to the mountains.

Here is another picture from the same night. This one is shot with ISO/3200

HeronSkyMed002.jpg
 
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Philnz

Senior Member
I put my camera on the desk. Open SD slot door take out SD card. Leave slot door open and camera on desk. Place SD card in slot in Computer transfer files (Photos)
Remove SD card from computer. Replace card in SD slot on camera close SD slot door. Place camera back in camera bag. Or hang camera round neck and go for walk and take photos. The only way I can leave the SD card behind is if I leave my camera behind. Darn you know what I have done just that.:mad::mad::mad:
 

STM

Senior Member
I always have a zip-loc bag with 2 or 3 of them stashed away into my gear bag. I have found myself in your predicament and had to run to Walmart or Best Buy (who are on the verge of no longer carrying CF cards) and get one.

Before going on any trip or shoot I recommend you make yourself a pre-flight checklist and check off each item as you inventory your gear. It will save you a lot of heartburn in the future!
 

Elliot87

Senior Member
Thanks Wayne and Scott. I have not shot night images before and got the f/8 at 6400 suggestions from a YouTube video. This week, I also replaced my D3200 with a D810, so along with your recommendations and my new camera, I have great expectations for my next trip to the mountains.

Here is another picture from the same night. This one is shot with ISO/3200

View attachment 214357

Congratulations on the D810, that will be a huge step up from the D3200. Iso 3200 is very very high for the D3200 and 6400 iso is insanely high and that has introduced a lot of noise to the pictures. I look forward to seeing how you get on with the new camera and improved settings.
 

Blade Canyon

Senior Member
One of the best tips I learned here, and now follow religiously, is NEVER close the battery or the SD card cover when you take those things out. Only close the doors when you put one in.

I see the squares!
 
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