When Your Lens Goes Missing: A Tale of Unnoticed Absence
Field Notes. Hiking up to Ehrenfels Ruins. Backpack…check. Camera… check. Tripod…check. Magnifiers…
It was a warm summer afternoon, as I ventured out into the countryside to capture the remains of Ehrenfels castle through my camera lens. Equipped with my trusty pair of glasses, I set off to explore the area with my keen artistic vision. Little did I know that fate had conspired against my optical prowess. As I navigated through the vineyards, over looking the Rhine river, I failed to realize that something essential had gone astray. somewhere lost behind me a lens had popped out of my frames and stealthily escaped from my reading glasses, abandoning its post without a trace.
Sometime later after finally arriving at the ruins, I unpacked my bag and put my gear together, and started shooting. Unbeknownst to me, I continued to peer through the opening of my glasses, (somehow oblivious to the missing lens) and into the camera….again oblivious. Eventually though, I knew something felt wrong and as I tried to puzzle it out I grew more and more frustrated, why was I not able to achieve manual focus? Why was my camera lacking the crispness I had come to expect? Questioning its focus and presumed incompetence I quickly laid blame upon my dedicated camera and cursed it. “BEEP you camera!” I said, switching the wretched thing into full auto mode as I shot away. Each beep from the camera, as it confirmed focus was like it saying “beep you” back at me. “beep!” (take the picture idiot! its in focus, I did my job!” (beep!). To which I would respond with “How is it that in focus!?” The camera became a scapegoat for an unresolved mystery, diverting my attention from the real culprit hidden behind my glasses' frame. There seemed nothing else to do but trust the lens to effectively guide my perception, I could not fathom the possibility that the fault lay elsewhere.
Hours passed in a haze of perplexion until a serendipitous moment intervened. Amidst my crestfallen state as I was packing up my gear, my glasses which were perched on top of my head fell off and I spotted the bewildering truth: my glasses devoid of symmetry. The unmistakable gap where my lens once resided became glaringly apparent. Embarrassment merged with relief, as the truth washed over me in a cascade of self-realization. It had not been the camera at fault at all, but my own oversight that had led to this optical conundrum!
Tired and worn out but with a sort of newfound… clarity, I began the hike back to my car.
This lesson learned was profound, reminding me that creative exploration transcends the boundaries of equipment and technicalities. Is it the artist's duty to be attuned to their surroundings? …possibly. Should we embrace the fortuitous accidents and misfortunes? probably.
It was definitely fortuitous that I was attuned to my surrounding when I happened upon the cafe. Prost!
