2008-07-27

mitigating by Sveavägen

How's this for irony?

Me, myself and I out and about. Strolling, in particular, looking for brilliant photos to snap. Sveavägen, Stockholm, in the middle of a warm summer night. It's darkish, like it should be around midnight at the end of July. The stony pathway leads me behind a pond. Neon lights reflected in the water. Nice. Looking to my right. Looking to my left. Looking in every possible direction except where I'm walking. The dimly lit stony pathway has a certain inclination and here's a step. Or, to be precise, there was a step. Me did not notice. Now me notice. This is not your average stumbling. The world turns roughly 90 degrees as I'm falling like a log. This wasn't part of the plan. No, I would have remembered that. Wasn't even in the fine print. Now, one thing which definitely was part of the plan is that my camera has been tied to my wrist. I wouldn't want to lose it. And guess what? After a second of falling (not particularly gracefully) I land on my right hand. With the camera in it. To be precise, I land on the camera. It's being smashed onto and scratched along that stony surface as my less-than-discreet weight follows on top of it all.

So there you go. I tie the camera to my wrist for protection and end up crashing on it. Mitigating one risk sometimes creates a new and possibly greater one...

4 comments:

Pia K said...

Oh my, poor you and poor camera! One of those stupid things that is something to laugh about in hindsight - if it wasn't for the camera that is... On the other hand, maybe it was sign for you to treat yourself to a new camera, one which will adamantly refuse to show the red date on photos...;)

stromsjo said...

Considering the fact that this camera model was rather cheap-ish even four-plus years ago when it was introduced, it wouldn't be unreasonable to suggest an upgrade. Now here comes the strange part of the story. One can certainly tell just by looking at the camera that it has been through some interesting experience but, so far, the function appears not to have been affected by that rather violent landing. Believe it or not, it still works! Time will tell and obviously this could change any day. This is in fact yet another irony. Yours-truly has in the presence of witnesses been known to claim that this particular camera didn't seem very robust, in fact even "smäckig" as the witnesses no doubt will recall. Those grave allegations appear to have been - ehm, shattered... by now?

But if you ask nicely I just might consider changing the colour of that date! ;)

Thanks for stopping by, Pia.

Järnladyn said...

On the other hand, one might say you were lucky to smash the camera and not your head...

I agree with Pia that this must be a sign for a new camera.

stromsjo said...

You do have a point about the head and the camera, Järnladyn. One of those is a lot easier to replace.

My first camera was actively used during four and a half years and this one will probably have a similar term limit. Three and a half right now... and counting. As you've probably figured out by now I'm not very interested in photographic hardware. So as long as the camera is more capable than I am, there's no hurry replacing it.

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