A photo opportunity that you have missed.....

[Bear Dale]

Have you ever kicked yourself over missing a photo opportunity?

Its mid Winter here and sunsets are around 5.00pm, last Friday I did a lot of work in my workshop working on my model steam engine hobby, by around 4.15pm
I was cold, tired and my back was aching. I got my iPad, laid on the bed, the little dog curled up in the crook of my arm and I was just so comfortable in contented bliss
and lost in the book I was reading on the iPad.

My darling wife Jenny called out that the sunset was looking awesome going down over the mountains, I kept reading...a few minutes later Jenny said it was really looking incredible....I kept reading....once again Jen called out that it was looking REALLY incredible...again I just said "I'm too tired hon".

It was the last week of the Winter school holiday here in Australia and there were a fair few tourists in the area. Around 5.30pm the first of the MOST INCREDIBLE SUNSET photos I have ever seen started to appear on Facebook, posted up by tourists taken on their phones.

I said to Jen "Why didn't you tell me it was THAT good"....you can imagine the look I got (and deserved).....I had to grab my camera, change the lens and walk 30 feet to have taken a photo.....those words "I'm too tired hon" will haunt me for some time to come as I truly think that this might have been a once in a lifetime sunset

Later we enjoyed a bottle of wine and celebrated over dinner our 40th anniversary from our very first date.......moral of the story....listen to your wife

 

[pdk42]

Ah, sunsets are ten a penny! I shouldn't worry.

But celebrating 40 years of companionship - now that's pretty special!

 

[Mike Buckley]

Later we enjoyed a bottle of wine and celebrated over dinner our 40th anniversary from our very first date

Congratulations! What was the wine?

Our 40th anniversary from when my wife and I met occurs next year. We haven't yet decided how to celebrate.

The photo opportunity I missed was due to a wildly incorrect exposure setting. My wife and I were in the middle of an area near the Sahara dessert in Morocco when I saw a pipe absolutely gushing with water sticking up from the barren land. I took a wide angle shot to show the strange situation and miscalculated the Sunny 16 rule. The color slide film, which has little to no margin for exposure error, was so horribly overexposed that it was ruined. That was in 1990 and I still remember every detail about missing that shot.

 

[Palouse]

Think of sunsets and other missed opportunities like you would a small fish—thrown back so they can go bigger!

Besides, saving your energy so you can enjoy a bottle of special wine together is important!

 

[gryphon1911]

I used to get all torque up about missing shots, but not anymore. When it’s gone, it’s gone.

the issue I found is that I got so obsessed about what I missed, I ended up missing other things! And I barely “chimp” anymore. At lest note while in the heat of whatever it is I’m covering.

Lost too many shots that way as well.

congrats on the 40 years together. That is awesome to hear. Me and mine are working toward that long term goal! 15 down so far and an unknown number to go!!

 

[Butlerkid]

In 2019 we spent 6 weeks in Eastern Canada. I was driving our F350 diesel truck. On "move" days, I was towing a 42' 5th wheel. I had my heart set on photographing a loon. At every stop, I asked everyone I met if they knew of loons nearby. I especially implored rangers at Nation Parks to share with me possible locations. I never got any suggestions on where to go. Mile by mile I scanned every body of water we came to. No loons.

One early morning we were hooked up to the 5th wheel since we were leaving one RV park and headed to another RV park about 300 miles away. After driving about 2 miles I spotted a pond along the road....AND A LOON ON THE POND! The shoulder of the road was not big enough for me to pull over - and morning traffic was going about 70 mph! I had to keep going.................. That was the only loon photo op I've ever had. Maybe someday...............

 

[Bear Dale]

Congratulations! What was the wine?

Our 40th anniversary from when my wife and I met occurs next year. We haven't yet decided how to celebrate.

Congratulations on your upcoming 40th of when you both met Mike.

The wine was a numbered 2003 bottle of Penfolds Bin 95 Grange, a Shiraz a friend gave to me around 10 years ago for some business help I gave him. It was a $600+ bottle of wine (the most expensive bottle I've ever opened) I ummed and arrged whether to keep it for another 10 years to our 50th anniversary of our first date....but thought what the heck.
It was very nice, but I wouldn't say I could taste that much money it.....it may have been wasted on our palates

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[Mike Buckley]

My wife and I enjoyed the next vintage (2004) a couple years ago to celebrate her 60th birthday. Absolutely the best Shiraz we've ever had. Also the only Grange we've ever had but it was a special occasion and we bought it because my wife dearly loves Shiraz.

Wine Spectator thinks you were wise to drink the wine now rather than wait, as they recommend drinking it by this year. They say the release price was USD $250 and they rated it a very high 94 points. The vintage I drank had a rating of 98 and a release price of USD $450 but I got it for USD $200. Even I get lucky every once in awhile.

Wine that costs this much is never proportionally better than less expensive wines; a $100 bottle of wine is never four times as good as a $25 bottle and a $500 bottle is never five times as good as a $100 bottle.

Just in case you don't know: Penfolds Grange is the only wine in the world that you can get the winery to open it, check to make sure the wine is still good, and if some has evaporated, top it off with the current vintage. The wine has to be at least ten years old for them to do that. Penfolds does this in major cities throughout the year and the world.

 

[Bear Dale]

My wife and I enjoyed the next vintage (2004) a couple years ago to celebrate her 60th birthday. Absolutely the best Shiraz we've ever had. Also the only Grange we've ever had but it was a special occasion and we bought it because my wife dearly loves Shiraz.

Wine Spectator thinks you were wise to drink the wine now rather than wait, as they recommend drinking it by this year. They say the release price was USD $250 and they rated it a very high 94 points. The vintage I drank had a rating of 98 and a release price of USD $450 but I got it for USD $200. Even I get lucky every once in awhile.

Wine that costs this much is never proportionally better than less expensive wines; a $100 bottle of wine is never four times as good as a $25 bottle and a $500 bottle is never five times as good as a $100 bottle.

Just in case you don't know: Penfolds Grange is the only wine in the world that you can get the winery to open it, check to make sure the wine is still good, and if some has evaporated, top it off with the current vintage. The wine has to be at least ten years old for them to do that. Penfolds does this in major cities throughout the year and the world.

That's some very interesting information Mike, I freely admit that I am very unenlightened when it comes to wine and am likely to be swayed when looking at wines to purchase at how much I like the label (there must be some buyers like me because I have noticed over the years that Australian producers labels are becoming much more colourful and artistic).

Many many moons ago (many many!) we used to be in a wine club and we got 12 mixed a month. Are they worth it or is it just a way for companies to move non-moving wines on the unsuspecting?

 

[Mike Buckley]

Many many moons ago (many many!) we used to be in a wine club and we got 12 mixed a month. Are they worth it or is it just a way for companies to move non-moving wines on the unsuspecting?

At the risk of appearing glib, the various wine club offerings are worth it if they are worth it to the member that joins. I've never joined a wine club associated exclusively with the winery that owns it, but I've had great success with FirstLeaf.com, the only wine club I've ever joined.

 

[Palouse]

Our wine group used to enjoy a Grange every Christmas, until it got too expensive to justify. Memory has dulled (for obvious reasons) but I believe it was early this century and the price reached $200. I must admit to thinking that drinking them was just about the closest to nirvana I could get.