Lousy Camera Photos

[MarkBarbieri]

There are times when life gets interesting and you don't have your real camera with you. At those times, I whip out my cell phone and use the pathetic excuse for a camera on it. The pictures are rarely good from a aesthetic standpoint, but they often capture moments in life that would otherwise be left only in our memories. A bad picture is usually much better than no picture at all.

This is a thread for those pictures. Let's see pictures of interesting things in your life taken without the benefit of a good camera.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Here's a candid shot my wife took of our younger son playing with his new "canoe" in the pool.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Here is my older son all dressed up to be head waiter at his classes "Poetry Cafe" presentation.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I finished a project a little early last week and hitched a ride home on a private jet. It was fun. I even took a seat right behind the pilots for the final approach and landing. That was interesting and educational.

 

[ukcatfan]

Living in SWFL, this was a big deal!

 

[fitzperry]

Mark, if those are all from your camera phone, it's at least superior to mine.

Here's a little political humor at the party store . . . .

And the kids on a bike ride last weekend . . .

 

[OK!]

My cell's camera's actually marginally tolerable in bright sunlight and otherwise ideal conditions, but that's about it. I love having it just in case, though!

My parents' Lab, Molly (yes, she's a whole dog, not just a disembodied head, as she appears in this pic...)

Couple from July 4 last year, when Albert Pujols hit his career 300th home run. I had no clue our seats were going to be as awesome as they were, or I'd have brought a real camera:

 

[OK!]

Found a few more. Sometimes I just take pics with the cell to upload to Facebook on the run or just to see how well the cell camera will perform under certain circumstances.

- from a Foo Fighters show in Kansas City, MO, last summer:

- Kiener Plaza, downtown St. Louis:

- from a Blues - Red Wings game last October:

 

[spinetnglr]

This wasnt a case of a lousy camera but more for lousy timing. I was out at the local state park with my D300 yesterday and as I was leaving I saw this buck along the access road to the boat launch. He is just starting to get his antlers for this year. I had the camera on the seat next me with the 300mm f4 lens mounted on it. I had to lower the passenger side window and hand hold the camera and shoot quick because I could see he was about to bolt into the thick brush cover behind him.

 

[zackiedawg]

I don't have a camera on my cell phone (and I'll do everything in my power to keep it that way...but that's another story)...so for me, my 'crappy' camera is an ultra-compact P&S that I bring with me absolutely everywhere when my main camera isn't with me. It allows me to take spontaneous, strange, and spur-of-the-moment shots, as well as those 'don't want to miss' moments.

I take two different kinds of photos with my ultra-compacts - one, is when I take it along as my night camera or event camera when I don't want the big one along - but in those cases, I'm taking the time to compose, meter, and set up a shot - so I don't think those count in the 'crappy camera' thread, since I used whatever skill I have to take them to the best of the camera's ability.

The other type of photo is the spontaneous snap - sometimes just lifting the camera and firing the shutter, sometimes shooting blind over my head or backwards, sometimes a strange angle where I can't really see the shot being lined up because I'm holding it down by my ankles. Those are the shots I'm just having fun with, or saw something that I figured I'd make a halfass effort to shoot while driving or walking. Sometimes, you get some cool shots that way, and sometimes you don't. I delete them if they stink, but every once in a while get something I like.

Here's a shot taken while driving home from work...the sky in the rear view mirror looked brilliant, so I opened my sunroof and stuck my T100 out facing backwards and snapped a blind shot at 50mph:

I never even saw the sunset with my own eyes - only what I saw later looking at the camera!

Here's another nice sky I shot in my side-view mirror sitting at a stoplight:

Here's a commute TO work, just after a quick rainshower and the sun popped out with a nice rainbow - taken through the windshield while driving:

Here's boredom on a rainy day...I had a waterproof case for my older ultracompact, so I decided to walk out on my patio during an all-day rainstorm, and stick it on the ground in a puddle to shoot the yard from an ant's point of view - another blind shot:

 

[Todd_H]

These were taken with my old Palm Treo

This one is from 2nd row at a Rush concert a couple of years ago

And here's one of my favorite sights in DHS

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Here's a shot taken while driving home from work...the sky in the rear view mirror looked brilliant, so I opened my sunroof and stuck my T100 out facing backwards and snapped a blind shot at 50mph:

And my friends think I'm the crazy one. (Nice pic btw.)

(I don't keep a camera phone, either. My DH does, and I know we've taken a few shots with it, but I don't think we ever got them off there. Will check it out.)

 

[annnewjerz]

I had the camera on the seat next me with the 300mm f4 lens mounted on it.

Hmmmm....Karyl, did someone make another purchase and not inform the rest of us or did you (gasp!) exhibit some self-control over your NAS and rent the 300 f/4 before you decided to take the plunge and buy it??

Either way, shame on you for not letting the rest of us live vicariously through your (maybe) purchase. Tisk tisk!!

 

[zackiedawg]

And my friends think I'm the crazy one. (Nice pic btw.)

Ha...I'm almost famous for those - I could practically patent the thru-the-sunroof-facing-backwards-blind shot. I've taken dozens over the years. My hit ratio in the early days was about 50/50 - with many of the shots missing focus completely, or showing far too much of my car's roof. But I've honed my technique where I can generally get the shot framed with just a bit of roof and roofrails in the shot and generally pointing at the horizon (though some straightening in post is usually needed).

Sometimes, looking out the front window at dusk is fun, because of the weird motion effect it creates (maybe it's just me, but I almost feel movement when I look at shots like this - almost dizzying or disorienting):

BTW - this is the exact same stretch of road as the backwards sunset shot. It's my commute home, west to east, so the sunsets are always at my back!

 

[MICKEY88]

sticking with the photography while driving theme..LOL
here are a few i took while participating in the Pottsville cruise

sunroof shot...

 

[fitzperry]

Here is my contribution to the photography while driving theme (not from my cell phone though)

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Here's the one and only photo I currently have on my phone - my little rat terrier Bruno enjoying his favorite hobby: napping in the sun. I walked out of my office with cellphone in hand and just had to snap it.

 

[fitzperry]

Got a new phone with a camera I'm actually kind of enjoying, so I thought I'd revive this thread.

 

[ukcatfan]

This was my street about a week ago.

 

[zackiedawg]

Yeah...it has been raining a bit lately, hasn't it!!