The Happy Accident

Fajitas!

Talk to me

What's your opinion of the happy accident in photography? The uncontrollable aspect that becomes an essential part of an image. Somebody walking into a frame last second, that somehow makes the image more 'whole', or the element you never saw/considered when pressing the shutter.

Any experience or opinions in it?

mikeanywhere

I nearly deleted something that happened to me a while back and I am glad I didn't as I love it!!

Does that help?? :P

Fajitas!

Ha! Did you mean to take it?

AnCatDubh

Ah, but we're professionals (at least professional amateurs) - and there's no such thing as luck ? eh...... is there????????

AnimalRights

I've being happy worth some of my lucky accidents...
If it adds to a picture I don't feel guilty keeping it.

eas

This is one of mine that had a happy accident. I quite like this photo for a few reasons but I think the flash coming from in front of the bride really completes the scene. Obviously a fluke.

bovril

I don't know if it's counted as an accident but I took over 60 shots of the first dance at a wedding recently to try get something different. I wasn't entirely sure what I would get or if I would get anything worth keeping but I did get one shot I like. I was handholding at a slow shutter and zooming the lens while the shutter was open.

Pivot_Al

I took this in Sorrento last summer. Taken on a ledge with aperture priority and self timer. Liked the image and used it as my wallpaper. It was only a week later that i noticed the branch on the right hand side. Could have kicked my self for not checking the viewfinder. I,m blaming the chianti!

stcstc

i think its an essential part of image capture.

As we are capturing moments in time that are never repeated, well not exactly repeated. sometimes that 'fluke' or happy accident is just part of that moment in time

I guess the luck bit, is if the fluke actually add to the image.

on the other hand if the fluke part IS the image, then thats about luck and not skill i guess.


BUT

every person in the world can take a good picture once, but to become proficient requires being able to repeat taking good pictures.

AnCatDubh

stcstc wrote: »

every person in the world can take a good picture once, but to become proficient requires being able to repeat taking good pictures.

or repeated luck???????

Covey

All of my images are happy accidents.. :D

peter1892

The happy accident can lead to a great shot. I've had a few such accidents when shooting on the street, but I guess it's not limited to that kind of work.

I love this one because the fella on the right walked along just as I was taking it (and the two other guys requested that I take their photo!).

Borderfox

Took a good few over the wall and happy enough to get the flash behind her head

whyulittle

I would probably go with this one.

I had wanted the swan looking at me, but it kept on turning away to preen itself, much to my frustration. When I got home and saw this photo, I loved it.

ThOnda

I think that the happy accidents pave my steps towards photography. Those images just pop out from album and makes me feel good about photography, my hobby and relaxation. And wanting to have more such lucky accidents, I am trying to learn and get closer to produce more of them.

And now, Fajitas, leave philosophy till you finish your homework!

Fajitas!

Bah. Spoilsport.

challengemaster

ThOnda wrote: »

And now, Fajitas, leave philosophy till you finish your homework!

It's for his homework!

oshead

This one for me a couple of years back when I decided to try out some street photography. Rather pleased with it. Total accident though.

Lend us a hand.


Dave OS

Fajitas!

challengemaster wrote: »

It's for his homework!

Naw, that chapter is pretty much written.

Covey

AnCatDubh wrote: »

or repeated luck???????

I wouldn't agree with that.

I think thats more or less impossible. To get a good image consistently (whatever the genre) is probably never repeated luck.

The above is for me a prime example of an image that could be easily achieved without any element of luck or manipulation (i.e. friend doing the needful). Positioning, planning, patience and a modicom of skill etc. There are many images that appear lucky that have no element of luck whatsoever, but a lot of skill and planning.

Love the shot oshead btw.

T.

DaireQuinlan

I quite like this one here:
I was setting up for a boring landscape shot, and just as I pushed the shutter release a friend of mine jumped into the frame. Not quite an accident, I mean SHE had it planned...

melekalikimaka

I don't think this has ever happened to me. Kinda wish it did happen tho,losing my creative ideas recently...even bought a notebook to keep in my pocket to take down ideas before I forget them hehe

Fajitas!

melekalikimaka wrote: »

I don't think this has ever happened to me. Kinda wish it did happen tho,losing my creative ideas recently...even bought a notebook to keep in my pocket to take down ideas before I forget them hehe

I think taking down notes of your ideas will do more to restrict you chances of the happy accident than give you a broader spectrum of accidents to fall upon.

melekalikimaka

don't you have a thesis to do?

Fajitas!

Yes.

melekalikimaka

I thought ya had 3000 to go last night, ya not done yet?

Fajitas!

2000 left.

Caffeine and lack of sleep brought on hallucinations.

I'm hoping for a happy accident.

melekalikimaka

Ah sure your conclusion is your intro, just cut and paste and hit the pub

DaireQuinlan

Fajitas! wrote: »

2000 left.

Caffeine and lack of sleep brought on hallucinations.

I'm hoping for a happy accident.

hahaha, Caffeine overdosing. I remember that well. Hallucinations, heart palpitations, nausea ...

Fajitas!

Tell me about it Daire!

melekalikimaka wrote: »

...and hit the pub

I'm pretty sure combining so much coffee with alcohol would result in a less than happy accident...

melekalikimaka

When's the deadline?

Fajitas!

We'll say tomorrow morning.

whyulittle

Hugh_C

Fajitas! wrote: »

Talk to me

What's your opinion of the happy accident in photography? The uncontrollable aspect that becomes an essential part of an image. Somebody walking into a frame last second, that somehow makes the image more 'whole', or the element you never saw/considered when pressing the shutter.

Any experience or opinions in it?

I detect the voice of Elven in this Al

It's called serendipity and it's this that makes photography for me.

elven

hehehehehehehe

Happy accident for me is less about the compositional aspect or the time element and more finding how something works when it probably shouldn't. Most of the time with the holga lens it's a bit of a click and hope and that's what makes it fun. No *huge* surprises as such but i never know just how the light is going to behave through that thing.

I think it must be missing me though, I've been all macroey again. Must take it to work on friday....

Fajitas!

elven wrote: »

Most of the time with the holga lens it's a bit of a click and hope and that's what makes it fun. No *huge* surprises as such but i never know just how the light is going to behave through that thing.

There's the surprise

I said I'd have to do something to get her back posting here...

mikeanywhere

I forgot to add the picture in question - my bad!!!

Camera around neck and saw this gal coming past. Pushed shutter with finger only so camera moved as well as it being a slightly slow shutter. As I said I was going to delete it but the decided against it at the time.

DeVore

Fajitas! wrote: »

Talk to me

What's your opinion of the happy accident in photography? The uncontrollable aspect that becomes an essential part of an image. Somebody walking into a frame last second, that somehow makes the image more 'whole', or the element you never saw/considered when pressing the shutter.

Any experience or opinions in it?

Fajitas, you're talking about the best bit of my photography...


DeV.

Fajitas!

Well, it's important that you enjoy it like, people are too quick to just call it an accident, it's happy for a reason

In other news... First draft = done. Ha.

DeVore

Sometimes i shoot a few without looking so i can be completely surprised when i get home. It's like i let the camera have a little secret life of its own and then look at its snaps that night!

DeV.

Anouilh

DeVore wrote: »

Sometimes i shoot a few without looking so i can be completely surprised when i get home. It's like i let the camera have a little secret life of its own and then look at its snaps that night!

DeV.

I tried a sequence of light trail photos, using the Christmas tree:

http://photographedublin.blogspot.com/2009/01/light.html#links

It's useful if you focus on an object to get started and then just move the camera slowly, using very slow shutter speed.

squareballoon

Here's my happy accident. Neither he nor I realised that the empty cartridges were going to shoot out of the gun when he cocked it. I was surprised they were so clear though.

Anouilh

Both of these photos were accidents.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/boards_ie/discuss/72157611170733117/

In the first case I was trying to line up the horizon properly and in the second I didn't notice that there was a person under the tree until later.

Oddly enough, they were the only two photos from years of snapping that were selected as being worthy of note.

homerun_homer

This was a happy accident when I photographed the Kills at Electric Picnic. I got some cool shots of them but this would not look as cool if I had not clicked the shutter at the exact same time as someone elses flash went off.