My Worst Photographic Goof

[vcrifici]

It was back in 1969 when black and white film was still king. The biggest news of the day was the space shot that would place the first human being on the moon. I was excited beyond belief. To think I was born when the only media we had was radio, and milk was delivered by horse and wagon. Now, thirty-six years later a man was going to walk on the moon! How lucky I was to witness this event. The entire sequence was to be televised for all to see.

This is an opportunity of a lifetime for me. I got out my trusty Rolleiflex, loaded with black & white film and set it on a tripod in front of the television. I carefully metered the screen to be sure I had the right exposure. Holding the cable release in my sweaty fingers, I couldn't wait for the program to start. The shuttle had lifted off four days ago, and the space capsule was sitting on the surface of the moon. Everyone was waiting for the hatch to open and see Neil Armstrong climb down the ladder to the Luna firma. Then the show began. The opening screen on the TV flashed the caption, "The Epic Journey of Apollo Eleven." I exposed my first frame, almost shaking in my boots. What followed in the next few hours was unbelievable. When Neil Armstrong said, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind", I got the biggest lump in my throat I ever had in my life. The astronauts jumped and played on the surface of the moon, and even hit golf balls! They planted a flag to mark the spot where the capsule had landed. All this time I was shooting away, being very careful to space my shots so I would capture the whole sequence in 12 frames. When it was nearly over I exposed my last frame.

I was a skilled darkroom technician, having developed and printed my own pictures since I was in boy scouts, some twenty-five years ago. I couldn't wait to develop this momentous roll of film. In the dark, I loaded the film into the tank, closed the cover and turned on the light. As I poured in the chemicals I couldn't stop thinking that I would probably be the first person on my block to have live photos of one of history's greatest events. I was so excited to see the negatives that I opened the tank, in the light, to peek at the progress of the development. In my haste, all my experience in film development had vanished, and I made the fatal mistake. The film was fogged forever. In an instant, I regained my sanity and slammed the cover of the tank shut. I reasoned that a half developed roll of film was better than nothing, so I immediately stopped the development and started the fixing process.

When I viewed the negatives after fixing, my heart sank to the floor. All I could see was a few thin remnants of images with dark streaks running across the entire roll of film. Most of the pictures were ruined, although a few had survived at the start of the roll. If you can picture a grown man crying, then picture me!

Subsequently, Life Magazine and National Geographic published superb color photographs of the entire moon trip, including most of the shots I had taken. I would never have been able to compete with those photos, but I learned a valuable lesson. Stay cool! Don't let your emotions get in the way of your training. Keep your thoughts on track and follow your procedures methodically. Now, does anyone want to join me for a game of chess?

....... Vince