Anything that can go wrong, goes wrong. I have seen it happening in photography very often. Here is a small compilation-

 

(First few rays of light on Trishul)

 

Equipment Related –

The lens mounted on the camera is always the wrong one for the scene.

The longest lens that you have purchased will still fall shorter than the one required for that perfect birding shot.

Auto-focus – won’t!

As an afterthought, your favorite camera that you bought with your hard earned money is one model lower than the one that you should have bought.

The best offers start the day after you’ve placed your order.

A clean / new camera attracts more dust than a dirty one.

Bugs always want to land on the mirror during a lens swap.

Long exposure noise reduction seems to take longer than your actual exposure.

The High-ISO capabilities of your new camera always seem to be noisy.

The lens that falls is always the most expensive.

Batteries last only as long as you don’t need them.

 

Being Ready –

Either the animal you are photographing is ready or you are.

The one time you leave the camera at home will definitely be the time you miss the shot of a lifetime. Bringing the camera with you will ensure that nothing happens.

Tripod is only needed when you don’t have it with you. (No, I did not have my tripod when I needed it for the photograph of Trishul peak above)

Found this one on another site – You spent weeks, months, years– maybe even decades– searching the world and your soul for the perfect expression of your photographic vision. You practiced. You studied. You tried, failed, and tried again. You found a mentor. You honed your craft. You allowed your camera to become a true extension of both your body and your mind. The guy who just beat you in a photo contest did it in three seconds with his mobile phone.

 

Subject and Surroundings –

Natural light is always less when you are doing macro or birding. The better the subject, the poorer the light.

The ideal light conditions last only as long as you set up your camera.

Perfect weather will return as soon as you finish packing up your gear and drive away.

That perfect bird pose is always the most blurred in the whole series.

 

From a professional viewpoint –

The success of an assignment is inversely proportional to its importance.

The success of an assignment is inversely proportional to the number of people watching.

The greater your excitement about a shoot, the greater the chance that something will go exceptionally wrong.

Client Intelligence is a contradiction.

If it works at home, it will fail on location.

The assignment details are usually provided after the photo-shoot.

Your best photograph is never liked by the client.

 

and as a general rule – 

Important things are always simple and simple things are always hard.

There is always a way, and it usually doesn’t work.

The most detailed photography book is the user manual and it is also the least read. (And let me assure you my friend, that is a fact.)