While raising the lightstand for Mimi & Karl as they take engagement photos, I often try to snap a few clicks hoping for a beside–the–scene glimpse at a heartfelt moment slowly (or more often, quickly) unfolding. Sometimes, I get lucky.
Just minutes before the session that produced the photo above, I was trailing Karl as we walked briskly to survey the scene and catch the last light of day when he suddenly stopped — a rainbow, just before the sun completely sleeps under the horizon:
It must’ve been my lucky day, as the rainbow could only suggest. And with one reasonably blog–worthy photo, I have a reason to believe it.
And then it happened.
As I tried snapping a few more as we got back to the couple’s place, my cam greeted me, albeit sadly, with a bright red on grey message: “Error 99.” The mother of all Canon digital SLR errors, a signal of bad (and costly) things to come. Karl tried to diagnose the issue, but listening to the shutter, all I could hear was a teasing familiar sound. The sound of a broken shutter mechanism. I’m most likely right, I heard this sound before. This unit’s still under warranty coverage so I hope it’s fixed soon without having to miss some assignments. The wait isn’t gonna be fun but I’ll have my backup for the meantime.
You win some, you lose some. I guess I won a photo I like, and a rainbow. But I lost my cam. Hopefully for just a short while though.
I’ll be at Canon’s service center first thing in the morning, and I pray they get me shooting again in no time.
Whoa, crud! That bites. I just had my Canon digital camera fixed recently too and I had a pleasant experience. Surprisingly enough, it was absolutely quick and hassle-free. =) Good luck!
(nice outlook on the whole every cloud has a silver lining though, lol)
Ouch, that sucks man! Those things are not cheap! Fantastic photos, though. 🙂
warranty normally means cost-free if it breaks down 🙂 Sort of reset na rin yan ng shutter life.
@Amanda: Yeah, I read your story. Based on that, I should have my camera just how they promised to have it fixed: in seven working days. I might need it sooner though, so I’ll be calling to check early next week. 😉
Unlike you, I couldn’t get it fixed in an hour. Should I have tried the short skirt and sexy smile approach? 😉 Hehehe.
@Ian Adams: It’s gonna be seven sucking working days for sure. I do hope I get to post more while my camera is away. 🙂
@brymac: Shutter replacement should be free, I think. The 400D is rated for 30-40k actuations, I couldn’t believe I’ve reached that in less than eight months! Maybe something else broke. I don’t know, I just hope I don’t have to pay for anything.
Markku, I’m not 100% sure if you can pull off the short skirt and sexy smile approach. You can give it a shot though, but if you end up getting your cam back in fourteen working days instead of seven you’ll have to blame it on yourself for temporarily blinding them.
/hides
(and fyi I was not wearing a short skirt! /indignant)
love the photos, love the rainbow, love….ooops, keso!
you’ll get your cam back, mabilis lang yun, 7 days lang, ako nga
6054 days ang hinihintay e… 🙂@hana: Thanks ga. 🙂
markku, I also experienced this problem. While Canon said that it was a minor matter since the shutter has to be replaced lang, the piece has to be ordered in Singapore pa! Unfortunately, I was in the middle of a book project that I bought a second hand unit while I waited for my camera to be fixed after more than a month!
I do hope na your’s will be repaired soon.
@estan: I hope I’m luckier than you on this one, I don’t want to buy another camera and my backup is rather dated that I can’t use my ultra–wide with it. I’ll keep my fingers crossed until it’s finally fixed.
huwaat! tuwing Christmas season nalang nangyayari yan? dejavu. uy! meron na ako D40. pero di ko pa alam gamitin! hmpfff… binyagan mo naman… so far puro si piwee at 2 stuffed toy sa office ang subject ko.
@leiababe: Tradisyon na yan pag pasko. Hehe. Bumili ka nga ng D40 di mo naman ako sinama, hmmp!
Sige shoot tayo minsan, sa UP o kaya sa UST. 🙂
Leia! tara shoot tayo sa UST! wala ako camera kaya saling ketket lang ako. :p Hindi ako masyadong willing maging model, hahaha!
Tara ga, c’mon c’mon! 🙂
*excited*
@hana: Shoot ka din ga, madami naman tayong cam ah. 😉
Woah, that rainbow shot really looks good Markku. Come to think of it, I’ve never really seen a rainbow captured in a photo. hehe
@benj: Thanks! It’s never easy to take photos of rainbows since you can hardly capture them without ruining the metering.