# Post your favorite accidental shot



## photoflyer (Oct 13, 2019)

This photo got me to thinking it would be interesting to share shots that were not planned but perhaps turned out better than expected,

Case in point.  I was kayaking on a fork of the Potomac river near the Lincoln memorial when I spotted a 757 headed down the river on a visual to runway 19 at DCA.  I knew it would disappear behind some trees and where it would reappear.  I was hoping to get a shot through the trees where it would reappear.  What I got was so much more.  As the saying goes "I'd rather be lucky than good."

So, what do you all have in your archives where a little luck made for a better photo.


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## Jeff G (Oct 13, 2019)

Great shot and cool idea for a thread.


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## Original katomi (Oct 13, 2019)

Nice shot


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## Photo Lady (Oct 13, 2019)

i never even saw this one until i was looking through the photos..


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## Braineack (Oct 13, 2019)

Accidental Frame by Braineack, on Flickr

Accidentally clicked this off walking the street.


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## Ron Evers (Oct 13, 2019)

My pic was to be of the couple walking the beach when a gull did a photo bomb.


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## K9Kirk (Oct 14, 2019)

Cool pic. Here's mine of two dragon flies photobombing a pic.


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## NGH (Oct 14, 2019)

Double exposure using my Bessa RF...


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## Nwcid (Oct 14, 2019)

I am not sure if it counts as accidental, but this was a lighting test shot.  

I was changing the scene for a shoot I was doing with 4 cousins.  I was setting/testing my lighting and one of the girls was sitting.  The original image was interesting, but I felt it needed a little more.  I do not typically heavily modify my images like this, but I do enjoy how it turned out.


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## Photo Lady (Oct 14, 2019)

K9Kirk said:


> Cool pic. Here's mine of two dragon flies photobombing a pic.
> View attachment 180744


the things this poor guy has to put up with..lol


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## SquarePeg (Oct 14, 2019)

Not sure if this qualifies as accidental but definitely all luck no skill.  I was on a moving bus and spotted this guy at the very last second and basically fired my camera against the window without looking.  




Wicklow wildlife by SharonCat..., on Flickr


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## SquarePeg (Oct 14, 2019)

Saw the butterfly but the bee diving in was a surprise.  Almost binned this one without looking at it full screen.




Untitled by SharonCat..., on Flickr


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## K9Kirk (Oct 14, 2019)

I was focused on the bee on the left when the dude on the upper right suddenly flew in.


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## Flying Panda (Oct 15, 2019)

Great idea for a thread! I have two, very old photos taken way before I knew anything about capturing motion. Both of the photos are of my late Doberman Pinschers when they were young. I took a lot of photos of them not knowing how the images were going to turn out.

#1 - I call this image "Kung Fu sparring day!"


 

#2 - We never had our Doberman's ears cropped like some, but in this image the dog's ears appear like they had been cropped.


 

JT


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## Dean_Gretsch (Oct 16, 2019)

Was shooting the little duck, when this dragonfly decided it wanted to share the scene


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## photoflyer (Oct 17, 2019)

These are great.  Keep them coming.


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## Dean_Gretsch (Oct 17, 2019)

I posted this one a couple years ago right after I took it. I saw Rudolph, snapped the pic, and when I loaded it for editing, I was very happy to see the falling leaf had come along at the most opportune time


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## SquarePeg (Oct 17, 2019)

I did not see this little guy until viewing on my iPad.  A very welcome photo bomber.





Hanging out by SharonCat..., on Flickr


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## Nwcid (Oct 18, 2019)

Well since you asked for more here is another I am not quite sure fits as accidental, but I did not get it intentionally.  

The helicopter is approximately 0.5 miles away, the building is approximately 0.8 miles away.  Until I took this image I did not realize there is a giant flag on the side.  Now that I know it is there I try to get it in my shots of military aircraft and I am usually somewhat successful.  This was an amazing accident.


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## LRLala (Oct 18, 2019)

This past May I was shooting some mule deer does on my hill. They were actually a little far away for my lens and I didn't even see the mountain bluebird until post.


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## photoflyer (Oct 18, 2019)

Dean_Gretsch said:


> Was shooting the little duck, when this dragonfly decided it wanted to share the scene



Getting one of those in flight in focus is tough.


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## Derrel (Oct 18, 2019)

Years ago meaning around 2005 I was testing a brand new Nikon 300 mm F / 2.8 AFS Mark II shooting some maple leaves in evening backlight. After I downloaded the photos to my computer I saw a wonderfully backlit spider web which my human eyes could not make out, but which was revealed quite beautifully by the Superior Optics of the lens. As I remember the Maple trees were about  50 yards away, and the spider web was at least 45 to 50 feet above my head level.


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## MSnowy (Oct 18, 2019)

I didn't notice the surprised face on the post until I was going over the pictures on my computer


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## Photo Lady (Oct 18, 2019)

Flying Panda said:


> Great idea for a thread! I have two, very old photos taken way before I knew anything about capturing motion. Both of the photos are of my late Doberman Pinschers when they were young. I took a lot of photos of them not knowing how the images were going to turn out.
> 
> #1 - I call this image "Kung Fu sparring day!"
> View attachment 180795
> ...


oh they were so beautiful !! thank you for sharing


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## Photo Lady (Oct 19, 2019)

SquarePeg said:


> Not sure if this qualifies as accidental but definitely all luck no skill.  I was on a moving bus and spotted this guy at the very last second and basically fired my camera against the window without looking.  looks like he saw you!! great!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Winona (Oct 19, 2019)

These are all great!


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## zombiesniper (Oct 20, 2019)

This would be my best kind of accidental shot.
I had intended to take a shot of the trash pandas in the tree. They were both looking at me but just as I was hitting the shutter the top one hid some of it's face creating the shy look that you see here.




playing shy by Trevor Baldwin, on Flickr


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## stk (Oct 20, 2019)

Autumn shot of my youngest...a split second before she fell off a ledge. Unfortunately she also fell out of focus.


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## Flying Panda (Oct 20, 2019)

zombiesniper said:


> This would be my best kind of accidental shot.



As you explained - an accidental shot, but IMO this image is anawesome capture.


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## Flying Panda (Oct 20, 2019)

stk said:


> Autumn shot of my youngest...a split second before she fell off a ledge. Unfortunately she also fell out of focus.



That's cute! I hope she survived the fall. As for the image, I especially love the atmospheric colors and tone of the forest floor. Nice shot.


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## stk (Oct 20, 2019)

It was quite the fall, but the landing was as soft as nature could provide.


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## limr (Oct 20, 2019)

Forgot I had film in the camera and opened the back of the K1000. Shut it back up immediately, but obviously, the film was still exposed. Somehow the framing was a bit off, too. I would never have come up with anything like this on purpose, but it's definitely my favorite mistake.




Day 26 - Diner by limrodrigues, on Flickr


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## limr (Oct 20, 2019)

Shot blind out of a moving car. Just had to straighten it a bit.




The bridge v3r by limrodrigues, on Flickr


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## limr (Oct 20, 2019)

One more: accidental double exposure with the Land Camera:




Day 232 - Double river by limrodrigues, on Flickr


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## Tropicalmemories (Oct 21, 2019)

I'd just got back home after finding an interesting manual lens at a night market Camera Fair (Voigtlander Classic 40mm SC) and woke up my 'model' by switching on the fluorescent light over the bed, and just clicked a test shot.

Somehow the crude strip lighting, in-camera black and white conversion and slightly startled, half asleep model, created a pleasant image.  She was actually looking at the clock before launching into a 'what sort of time is this to be playing with your camera' tirade.


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## smithdan (Oct 21, 2019)

A bit interested in the unusual facade of the building across the street so decided to look at it through the viewfinder.  Decided that it wasn't worth a go then the light changed and...


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