Post a bad thing that happened in your life today

[Michael Ventura]

6 hours ago, sb photos said:

There can never be too many 'final checks'.

 

My new MANTRA!

[Betty LaRue]

14 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

Had a magazine portrait shoot this evening and made a big mistake that could have gone a lot worse.  I forgot my XQD card wallet, the cards I use with my Nikon D850.  I began to sweat bigtime as these doctors were standing by and ready to be photographed and go home.  I put my camera bag in my lap and went through every zippered compartment and finally found some SD cards that I had stashed, just in case I made such a rookie mistake.  Sure the SD can work but the camera writes the files to the card much more slowly and even has to stop shooting, after every 10 or so photos, to empty the buffer.  Really hated that and hopefully it taught me the lesson to triple check my bag to make sure I got everything packed!!!

I drove 100 miles to my nephew’s farm to shoot his resident Great Horned owl family. It was a very rare getaway opportunity during the time I cared for my husband. When I got there, the owls were cooperative. But I had mistakenly packed my 50-140 lens instead of my 100-400. I was devastated. I made do, but 140mm was not 400mm. I had to walk closer to the owls, which gave them the opportunity to feel threatened and dive at me. Luckily, that didn’t happen.

Your situation, Michael, was way worse than mine.

This is the recently fledged female offspring.

Edited August 31, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[Michael Ventura]

Nice photo Betty!  I should have mentioned too that I rarely take my card case out of my camera bag (I have 5 64GB XQD cards), I just take the card or cards I just used, straight to the computer to download.  But last week, I had a full day shoot, shot 3,500 photos for one client (it was a LONG day) and so I nearly filled all the XQD cards.  So I just took the whole card case to the computer and failed to put it back in my camera bag.

[Betty LaRue]

9 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

Nice photo Betty!  I should have mentioned too that I rarely take my card case out of my camera bag (I have 5 64GB XQD cards), I just take the card or cards I just used, straight to the computer to download.  But last week, I had a full day shoot, shot 3,500 photos for one client (it was a LONG day) and so I nearly filled all the XQD cards.  So I just took the whole card case to the computer and failed to put it back in my camera bag.

I can’t imagine shooting that many images, or then having to rate them. We’re you doing bursts?

[Michael Ventura]

1 minute ago, Betty LaRue said:

I can’t imagine shooting that many images, or then having to rate them. We’re you doing bursts?

Actually I made a typo, it was 2,500, not 3,500.  Still a lot.  I was shooting portraits of about 50 employees of this business based in Washington.  They have people scattered around the country and had everyone come to DC for an annual gathering.  I did about 50 shots per person, they were not just head and shoulders, they wanted more personality to come through with them posing however they felt comfortable.  It took me a few hours to edit them all down to make a gallery.  

[Bryan]

4 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

Actually I made a typo, it was 2,500, not 3,500.  Still a lot.  I was shooting portraits of about 50 employees of this business based in Washington.  They have people scattered around the country and had everyone come to DC for an annual gathering.  I did about 50 shots per person, they were not just head and shoulders, they wanted more personality to come through with them posing however they felt comfortable.  It took me a few hours to edit them all down to make a gallery.  

I wouldn't relish that task !  I rarely take more than 20 shots on any outing and then procrastinate long  over which to keep! The difference  between photography as a profession and my amateur efforts.

[Allan Bell]

Just checked LR and see I have 361 images waiting to be processed or rejected. That is far to many for me never mind 2500.

 

Should keep me going for a month so consider it my winter hoard when I will not be taking so many photos.

 

Also I am expecting to get a lot of photos from my trip/holiday at the end of the month when I go down to the Norfolk/Suffolk coast.

 

Allan

 

[spacecadet]

An early birthday present from my optometrist yesterday............cataracts. I'd have preferred chocolate or gin.

Any thoughts from sufferers?

Edited September 7, 2022 by spacecadet

[Rebecca Ore]

2 hours ago, spacecadet said:

An early birthday present from my optometrist yesterday............cataracts. I'd have preferred chocolate or gin.

Any thoughts from sufferers?

 

The operation is fairly straight forward these days, and works a treat.   You'll be asked what kind of lens you'd prefer, and most people can adjust to one short distance and one longer (I only had one cataract).  Cuban medical teams visiting Nicaragua do the surgery wholesale here, but I would wonder about the lenses.   My surgery was done a couple of decades ago in the US and no problems.   If you've got cataracts in both eyes, the procedure seems to be do one eye and when it has healed, do the other one.  You'll wear an eyecup over the eye for a while and will be asked to wear glasses to protect the eye while it's healing. 

 

 

[Martin L]

Sorry to hear that 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Martin L
Not funny

[Allan Bell]

My neighbour had cataract surgery done a few weeks ago and he was very worried about it before the event.  After the surgery, which only takes a short time, he came out to the waiting room and said he did not know why he worried about so much. No pain, did not feel a thing.  He is now quite happy to have the other eye done when the cataract in that one "matures".

 

Allan

 

[sb photos]

My wife had cataracts detected during her regular eye test a while back. At first she couldn’t detect any problems, but she can a little now. When her eyes get worse and if they effect her ability to drive into work I’ll be dropping her off in the morning and collecting at the day end. How long a wait it will be for an NHS operation is anyones guess.

[MDM]

The cataract conversation again. I think the idea of catarcacts ripening is out of date as all they do nowadays is remove the lens and pop a new one ii. Basically you have to virtually blind to get lens replacements on the NHS nowadays although it might be a postcode lottery.

 

I used to have cataracts but I went private back in 2016 and had lens replacements. I had waited for a number of years with deteriorating eyesight waiting for them ripen (i.e get bad enough to get them done on the NHS). My eyesight was still too good at the time - I could read a car number plate from 20m and I could still tell if my images were sharp enough for Alamy QC but it was getting worse. In the end I coughed up the money (£5000 at the time) and had the surgery. My only regret was not doing it years before as I had been going around with poor eyesight under the misconception that the cataracts had to ripen. The first morning after the first eye was done, taking the eyeshade off was like rebirth. Colour, saturation and sharpness of vision just incredible. The quality of my life and my photography changed instantly.

 

I know I've had this conversation with spacecadet before so not going there again. However, I would advocate that anyone suffering from cataracts that are affecting eyesight to borrow or beg the money to get them done if at all possible. Mortgage the house or sell the Rolls if necessary. Waiting for the NHS it could be years. Eysight is vital to everyone and even more to photographers. 

 

My bad thing today - I had a bottom wisdom tooth out. It's a good thing really. 

Edited September 7, 2022 by MDM

[Betty LaRue]

30 minutes ago, MDM said:

The cataract conversation again. I think the idea of catarcacts ripening is out of date as all they do nowadays is remove the lens and pop a new one ii. Basically you have to virtually blind to get lens replacements on the NHS nowadays although it might be a postcode lottery.

 

I used to have cataracts but I went private back in 2016 and had lens replacements. I had waited for a number of years with deteriorating eyesight waiting for them ripen (i.e get bad enough to get them done on the NHS). My eyesight was still too good at the time - I could read a car number plate from 20m and I could still tell if my images were sharp enough for Alamy QC but it was getting worse. In the end I coughed up the money (£5000 at the time) and had the surgery. My only regret was not doing it years before as I had been going around with poor eyesight under the misconception that the cataracts had to ripen. The first morning after the first eye was done, taking the eyeshade off was like rebirth. Colour, saturation and sharpness of vision just incredible. The quality of my life and my photography changed instantly.

 

I know I've had this conversation with spacecadet before so not going there again. However, I would advocate that anyone suffering from cataracts that are affecting eyesight to borrow or beg the money to get them done if at all possible. Mortgage the house or sell the Rolls if necessary. Waiting for the NHS it could be years. Eysight is vital to everyone and even more to photographers. 

 

My bad thing today - I had a bottom wisdom tooth out. It's a good thing really. 

I agree with everything you said. If colors are off, if one has trouble evaluating images, reading street signs until up on them, your normal life is affected in any way, they are bad enough to get something done. I couldn’t read street names until I was right there.  I had one done and two weeks later had the other done. Like you, it was astonishing to see things the way they should be. I’d forgotten how crisp blades of grass was. And my hair…after surgery I kept slathering conditioner on it because I wasn’t used to seeing each hair so crisply.  Medicare paid for mine, done when I wanted them done. From exam to surgery was about 2 weeks. That means nothing here, though. Instead of needing prescription reading glasses later for astigmatism, I buy readers at the pharmacy, now.
I chose not to have one implant for distance, one for reading because I had once tried a contact fit for reading while the other eye saw distance, and my brain didn’t handle it well, plus it messed with my depth perception. That worked well for one sister, the other sister hated them not focused for the same distance. But she was stuck with the decision.

Edited September 7, 2022 by Betty LaRue

[Marianne]

7 hours ago, spacecadet said:

An early birthday present from my optometrist yesterday............cataracts. I'd have preferred chocolate or gin.

Any thoughts from sufferers?

 

Very straightforward. I got cataracts in my early 50's and having been 20/250 in my good eye, that 20/20 vision is great. I had the surgeries about 3 years apart, the first one 12 years ago this month right before my 52nd birthday. All went well although I did get terrible migraines a few times a month for a couple of months after the first surgery - it may have been due to getting used to my vision being so different in the two eyes despite wearing a contact lens in the bad one. I went into NYC for brunch and a matinee for my birthday a few days after surgery - you are good to go really fast afterwards. 

 

Good luck. Surgery is always scary but it's one of the safest surgeries out there according to my MD.

[John Mitchell]

I had cataract surgery (both eyes) about 1.5 years ago. It was very easy and painless. The process was a bit of an assembly line with my 70+ year-old surgeon wheeling one patient after another into the OR. He played very loud 60's and 70's rock music while operating, probably to help him stay awake. The results are not perfect. My left eye now doesn't open quite as wide as the right one for some reason. Also, the lenses in my eyes are two different powers -- one for distance and one for mid-distance. Sometimes when I read, the two lenses seem to work against each other, and words start "flickering" somewhat, but it's no big deal. I still have to wear goggles for extended reading and computer work, but I can see my phone OK in a pinch without my "specs". Colours are much brighter than they used to be, shockingly so. Overall I'm glad I got it out of the way sooner rather than later. 👓

[Michael Ventura]

31 minutes ago, John Mitchell said:

He played very loud 60's and 70's rock music while operating, probably to help him stay awake.

 

Too funny (and a bit scary)!

[sb photos]

7 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

He played very loud 60's and 70's rock music while operating, probably to help him stay awake.

 

Long ago I had a dentist that played fairly loud rock music. It didn't cover up the whine of the drill.

[spacecadet]

Thanks for the reassurances. Mine are apparently mild and don't affect vision at all-yet. The optometrist just said wait and wear a hat for protection from the Sun- I wear one all the time anyway.

As to the £5000- well that's not happening. When you search on waiting lists, most of what you get is ads from the vultures after your £5k. When you look at the actual NHS data it's a much clearer picture, haha, and not discouraging. But I will be knocking on my GP's door as soon as I notice anything. And not missing the eye tests now they're free.

Can I ask about peoples' timescales, from detection to surgery?

Edited September 8, 2022 by spacecadet

[Allan Bell]

4 hours ago, sb photos said:

 

Long ago I had a dentist that played fairly loud rock music. It didn't cover up the whine of the drill.

 

Or the screams?

 

Allan

 

[Allan Bell]

6 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Thanks for the reassurances. Mine are apparently mild and don't affect vision at all-yet. The optometrist just said wait and wear a hat for protection from the Sun- I wear one all the time anyway.

As to the £5000- well that's not happening. When you search on waiting lists, most of what you get is ads from the vultures after your £5k. When you look at the actual NHS data it's a much clearer picture, haha, and not discouraging. But I will be knocking on my GP's door as soon as I notice anything. And not missing the eye tests now they're free.

Can I ask about peoples' timescales, from detection to surgery?

 

I was told I had a cataract in one eye back in 2017 and later in 2020.  Still no noticeable change in the sight of that eye. Images sharp and colour (color) is fine.

 

I have been wearing hats since then and also wear spectacles with sun shading.

 

Allan

 

[MDM]

38 minutes ago, Allan Bell said:

 

I was told I had a cataract in one eye back in 2017 and later in 2020.  Still no noticeable change in the sight of that eye. Images sharp and colour (color) is fine.

 

I have been wearing hats since then and also wear spectacles with sun shading.

 

Allan

 

 

You may not notice the changes as they can be very gradual. My eyesight deteriorated gradually over several years - it never got so bad that I could not drive safely or use a camera properly. But man did I notice the difference after I had the first operation. I had not realised I had been going around with a dirty yellow filter over my eyes that was not only affecting sharpness but also the accuracy of my colour perception and saturation.

 

Your eyesight might well be fine still but if it gets worse then do not hesitate and wait for the decimated NHS. Cataract surgery is always one of the first things to go when budgets are tight and they are extremely tight right now and getting tighter (as well as massive staff shortages etc etc). You only live once as far as I know.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2022 by MDM

[John Mitchell]

19 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

 

Too funny (and a bit scary)!

 

Yes, but apparently, playing AC/DC gets the best results. 🎸

[spacecadet]

Seems to me that a bit of periodic colour testing might be useful in monitoring this, so I've taken the Farnsworth Munsell test and recorded the score (4) on my calendar. The NHS eye test will presumably take care of the acuity end of things.

Edited September 8, 2022 by spacecadet

[John Mitchell]

25 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Seems to me that a bit of periodic colour testing might be useful in monitoring this, so I've taken the Farnsworth Munsell test and recorded the score (4) on my calendar. The NHS eye test will presumably take care of the acuity end of things.

 

There's probably no rush. My cataracts were detected when I was in my late 50's, and I didn't have them done until l was 71. I could have waited several more years but decided to take the advice of my ophthalmologist and get my eyes done rather than buying new glasses (aka "spectacles"), which wouldn't really have helped me see better. Fortunately, the Canadian healthcare system continues to provide cataract operations without any delays. Everything else seems to be falling apart after COVID, though.