Down the Road

Photographs and stories by Jim Grey

Since 2007

single frame: Oops

Jim Grey
13 comments on single frame: Oops
1 minute
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Oops

Oops
Olympus XA
Ilford Delta 400
LegacyPro L110, Dilution B
2020

When I have film in a little camera like my Olympus XA, I tend to carry it with me everywhere I go. I had some Ilford Delta 400 in the XA when I visited my mom. We sit out on her patio next to a propane heater, which keeps us warm enough even when temperatures are in the 40s. We haven’t tried it yet with temperatures below 40. The propane heater wouldn’t be necessary at all were it not for COVID-19, of course.

Mom has a keen eye for nice things, and so she noticed my XA right off. As I showed it to her, I accidentally fired the shutter. The little orange button is so sensitive and easy to fire when you don’t mean to! This is a shot of the balcony above her condo, and the sky. I rather like how it turned out.

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Comments

13 responses to “single frame: Oops”

  1. Roger james Meade Avatar
    Roger james Meade

    One of the things I really like about personal photography is the memories that a particular shot will trigger. This quirky photo might do that for you. That makes it a great shot despite any other considerations.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      One reason I blog about photos like this is to remind me of the memory!

      Reply
  2. Lone Primate Avatar
    Lone Primate

    I thought it was a bridge, seen from below. I was like, “Where’s the ‘oops’ in that?” :)

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      It is a fairly abstract image, with so many interpretations.

      Reply
  3. Katie Yang Avatar
    Katie Yang

    I’ve done that multiple times with both the Olympus XA4 and the Pen D3. Little cameras with little shutter buttons, such a love/hate relationship.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Fortunately I don’t waste too many frames this way.

      Reply
  4. ronian42 Avatar
    ronian42

    The XA is a great little camera, but yes the shutter is sensitive. I’ve done this myself with mine.The positive is that with such a light shutter you can get away with 1/15 of a second!

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      That’s true! So easy to shoot in challenging light.

      Reply
  5. marcusterrypeddle Avatar
    marcusterrypeddle

    Normally you’d have to wait an hour for the clouds to fit themselves so nicely into the composition. A very nice accident, indeed.

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      Thanks! Blind dumb luck.

      Reply
  6. thedullchannel Avatar
    thedullchannel

    I really love hearing the small stories behind a shot. It does not need to be something big or special…well it is special for you of course…it gives an image some kind of meaning or connection.

    At first glance I thought it was shot from under a bridge…

    Reply
    1. Jim Grey Avatar
      Jim Grey

      One of the reasons I write blog posts like this is so I don’t forget the story behind a simple photograph!

      Reply
      1. thedullchannel Avatar
        thedullchannel

        haha…yep…that is why I randomly choose pictures to see what I remember and then make a blog post out of it.

        Reply

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