We were offered a bedroom at the location of the party, the couple's house in Jesmond. There was to be a large marquee in the rear garden to house approximately 200 guests.
The night started at 7:30pm and guests were soon enjoying champagne, canapes and caricatures [an artist with a broken leg had been hired for the evening].
I made my way around the crowd picking out casual conversation and laughter preferring generally to avoid posed shots whilst Karen caught up with friends.
As the crowds got heavier it became more and more difficult to move around with my 5dmkii and 24-105mm f/4.0 L USM IS lens so, rather than hold it in front of me by the body I held it behind me by the bottom of the lens barrel as I cut through groups of increasingly drunk party-goers.
After shooting approximately 100 images I was approached by a couple looking for advice to pass onto their daughter about how to select a wedding photographer. 'What should she be looking for, other than a portfolio?'. 'What sort of questions should she be asking?'. My answers and the following discussion are maybe for a separate post but, as we were discussing, I felt the body of the camera suddenly decrease in weight significantly. On looking down, to my complete horror, I noticed that the lens had fallen off and I saw the moment of impact when it hit the concrete [we were essentially stood on the patio, covered by the marquee].
I casually bent down and picked the lens up, as if nothing had happened, and carried on the conversation. I tried several times to reattach the lens to the body but something was wrong, it wasn't happening. It can often be a bit fiddly to secure a lens but this was taking too long. I didn't catch a word of what was being said to me but just nodded and glazed over. I cut the discussion short and headed to our bedroom for the night to inspect the damage - Karen followed me.
I could see that the mounting ring had bent and thought I could bend a piece of it back. I tried to using a house-key. It moved fairly easily and I managed to get it back to horizontal but the lens still wouldn't twist completely onto the body. I started to panic, the consequences running through my mind. Fortunately the front and rear elements were unaffected - no chips, splinters or cracks - which is more than could be said for my brain at that point.
Finally I noticed that the lens mount, where it meets the barrel, had warped from impact and there was no way I would be able to sort that out. My photography evening was soon over and I put the kit back in my bag, headed downstairs to tell the birthday couple, and proceeded to drink myself silly.
The couple were horrified and seriously concerned - my only choice was to return to London and get a quote for the repair. During our train ride back to London Karen found that the couple had concealed some cash in a gift of hers to cover the repair costs.
I took the lens to Fixation [www.fixationuk.com] close to Oval tube station in south London and was told that I would have an estimate within a couple of days. The cash from the couple covered the cost and, after a week the lens was ready to be picked up. It looked [and looks] brand new - I was seriously impressed at the speed and quality of service and, after the experience, have come to decide two things. If ever I need a repair again I'll take it to Fixation. If ever I hold my camera by the lens barrel again I'll cut off my right arm - I suspect that, over the course of the night, the lens release button must have been pressed and the lens gradually twisted it's way off the body.
Lesson learned.
The night started at 7:30pm and guests were soon enjoying champagne, canapes and caricatures [an artist with a broken leg had been hired for the evening].
I made my way around the crowd picking out casual conversation and laughter preferring generally to avoid posed shots whilst Karen caught up with friends.
As the crowds got heavier it became more and more difficult to move around with my 5dmkii and 24-105mm f/4.0 L USM IS lens so, rather than hold it in front of me by the body I held it behind me by the bottom of the lens barrel as I cut through groups of increasingly drunk party-goers.
After shooting approximately 100 images I was approached by a couple looking for advice to pass onto their daughter about how to select a wedding photographer. 'What should she be looking for, other than a portfolio?'. 'What sort of questions should she be asking?'. My answers and the following discussion are maybe for a separate post but, as we were discussing, I felt the body of the camera suddenly decrease in weight significantly. On looking down, to my complete horror, I noticed that the lens had fallen off and I saw the moment of impact when it hit the concrete [we were essentially stood on the patio, covered by the marquee].
I casually bent down and picked the lens up, as if nothing had happened, and carried on the conversation. I tried several times to reattach the lens to the body but something was wrong, it wasn't happening. It can often be a bit fiddly to secure a lens but this was taking too long. I didn't catch a word of what was being said to me but just nodded and glazed over. I cut the discussion short and headed to our bedroom for the night to inspect the damage - Karen followed me.
I could see that the mounting ring had bent and thought I could bend a piece of it back. I tried to using a house-key. It moved fairly easily and I managed to get it back to horizontal but the lens still wouldn't twist completely onto the body. I started to panic, the consequences running through my mind. Fortunately the front and rear elements were unaffected - no chips, splinters or cracks - which is more than could be said for my brain at that point.
Finally I noticed that the lens mount, where it meets the barrel, had warped from impact and there was no way I would be able to sort that out. My photography evening was soon over and I put the kit back in my bag, headed downstairs to tell the birthday couple, and proceeded to drink myself silly.
The couple were horrified and seriously concerned - my only choice was to return to London and get a quote for the repair. During our train ride back to London Karen found that the couple had concealed some cash in a gift of hers to cover the repair costs.
I took the lens to Fixation [www.fixationuk.com] close to Oval tube station in south London and was told that I would have an estimate within a couple of days. The cash from the couple covered the cost and, after a week the lens was ready to be picked up. It looked [and looks] brand new - I was seriously impressed at the speed and quality of service and, after the experience, have come to decide two things. If ever I need a repair again I'll take it to Fixation. If ever I hold my camera by the lens barrel again I'll cut off my right arm - I suspect that, over the course of the night, the lens release button must have been pressed and the lens gradually twisted it's way off the body.
Lesson learned.
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