Wear it, don't carry it!

 Hi folks and is this not every photographer's nightmare!!! Thus far I have no tales of woe I am glad to say but do not want to tempt fate, hoping never to go through Rod's experience ( or Dave's for that matter ). However, these tales of mishap can only be a wake up call to us all to just go that extra mile to take that care that our gear deserves.

    It does remind me of an incident when on survey ages ago, I was only a basic assistant and not long in the job. The surveyor in charge set up the theodolite on it's tripod at the first survey point, after finishing at that point he picked up the tripod to move to the next point and wallop!! , the theodolite had jumped off the tripod and lay prone on the deck. The base plate was still on the tripod but the thoedolite had parted from it's baseplate- not something one would have expected. The theodolite had just been serviced but whoever did the job had not done the screws up on the baseplate/theodolite connection, so the story is always check and secure- it could be your camera on that tripod just picked up to move a bit. 

My camera has a strap plus a spare is in my study along with loads of stuff, some of which I really need. 

On Friday, I was holding too many things, but the camera was not in the plastic bag, but stupidly held with other items. I have Looked for a cure for rank stupidity, but sadly only learn from repeated mistakes. The Nikon bouncing on the concrete was such an occurrence. 

My sensible mode of taking the camera out for the day is, either to have it in a bag (I have three) placed either over the shoulder or in a sling position, or just the camera, strap over my left shoulder ready for capturing that elusive perfect shot. You know, the  one I shall sell to the highest bidder for millions of pounds, dollars or even euros. You see, I really am delusional.

Tripods is another area that separates me from the sane. Legs (sometimes my own as well)  have wobbled in churches on dodgy stone floors, and in high winds in front of the whole assembly of wedding guests, plus the bride trying to keep her blue garter secret, and tottered on the banks of a lake. I dislike tripods, but accept them with gritted teeth. I have have a ten stop neutral density filter, a handy piece of opticial glass which has to be used with a tripod. So, I don't get to screw it onto my 10-20 lens very often. Finally, on tripods, I feel somewhat like a nudist in a room full of Pearly Kings and Queens when setting up a tripod in a busy street for example. A bit out of place! I really must mature, but time is somewhat against that prospect. 

Thanks for the responses to my tale of woe. 

TTFN.  

I think the moral of these tales of woe are that we should all take more care, that said there's no accounting for equipment that suddenly decides it's going to ruin your day no matter how careful you are. Inert objects sometimes just do what they want to do 

I once watched a very expensive radar gun just drop from my hands and go crashing to the pavement, that too had just been serviced. It needed more than a service when I'd finished with it, the only up side I suppose was that the motorists on that particular stretch of road had a better day than me.