Have you lost your camera recently? Mislaid it somewhere in a national park? Left it in a taxi? Dropped it in the gorilla pit? Anyone can be a victim of the thoughtlessness and/or sleepiness that can lead to Camera Loss.
‘How can I prevent Camera Loss?’ I hear you ask, wishing I’d get to the point. Well, you can’t prevent cameras from getting lost, but you can do something so your camera can be found very soon after it has vanished.
All you have to do is take some photos – which you never delete from your camera – so when someone finds your camera at the bottom of the gorilla pit they are able to locate you and return the lost property to its rightful owner.
To illustrate just how you can safeguard your camera from the crippling effects of Camera Loss, here are the pics that I always keep on my camera.
Matches Malone
Ingenious!!! But only if it works.…
mary
Very amusing and, actually, not a bad idea.
P.S. Haunted by bath photo.
Penni
Ooh, I want to find your camera! Hurry up and lose it.
#2
Does Number One know what you’ve been up to with her shower cap?
Also, great post. You could totally be a mime with those facial expressions.
esther
discussion at booked out re this post has found that this would be more effective if you have the sequence available in a minimum of 7 languages as you are most likely to lose your camera overseas.
esther
p.s. with an index card at the start — for mandarin, see photos 281–306 etc etc
Little Miss Scatterbrain
That. Was. Brilliant.
@Esther– that would be a lot of pics…you’d only have about 7 slots in which to take ACTUAL photos
cara
LOL — BRILLIANT!!!
now to test your theory…
Elise
Funniest one yet.
tony
Oh my eyes… my poor, burning eyes #bathphoto
This is awesome. I almost snorted coffee through my nose.
Sean O'Beirne
You make Bob Dylan seem just not enough fun.
jon
You should do all your blogs through your camera. It’s like a lolcats story board.
Andrew
Who do you think you are? Bob MCDonald? Andrew Dylan?
It’s all a bit obscura…
genevieve
very funny, Mr Mac. The bath pic references Jimmy Rabbitte too. Nice references all round.
lucy
you have a lovely smile.
anon
Reminds me of a camera recently handed in to lost property at work. Conveniently had a photo with the owner’s name near the start enabling me to easily track down the owner. No hugs though.
Also, I’m intrigued by your mixed use of serifs on the letter I.
Ang
Haha, very well done! Totally loving the bath tub photo.. Little ducky was a perfect prop.
Cass
Love it! I am giggling at my desk (and getting strange looks from my coworkers).
Anon, the serifs are only on the letter I if it’s a capital (start of sentence or the word ‘I’). They’re like SUPER CAPITAL LETTERS!
steph
HAHAHAHA that’s really funny and clever
Andrew
Hey thanks everyone for your kind comments.
I do now feel sorry for the person who ACTUALLY loses their camera, googles the problem in panicked grief and winds up here. To that person: sorry!
Tatiana
Are you a show-man? I mean in the finest sense of the word.
Very-well done!
I have a strong feeling that I saw your camera somewhere here, in Russia..
LostInBrittany
I’m not sure it would work.
I tried something similar, I had a card with my name and address inside the camera bag.
I lost my camera a month ago, and the ######## who found it, with the card inside the bag, never contacted me…
Patrick
You might want to make the email address a little clearer– most people can probably guess the full domain etc even with lack of clarity, but doesn’t hurt to be careful!
Other than that, fantastic
Carly
Fantastic IDEA!! I might have to do the exact same thing
Fredrik
Great idea! But if you never format your memory card you will soon have trouble whit it.You can have data errors and corruptions. But, GREAT idea…
Xavier
That’s very creative dude, I LOVED it
astrid
Super idea! Even your shower picture. Your like the ideal “son in law” Handsom and smart!!
Johnny
Hahhhaha that was hilarious
More!
TechyDad
I lost my camera eight years ago. My wife and I had just returned from a Vegas vacation and I had over 100 photos on my memory cards. The camera was at the bottom of our backpack but due to a water spill was moved to the top. We’re pretty sure that someone took it out of the backpack during a flight change while I was in the bathroom and my wife was distracted (on her cell phone talking to her parents). Police were no help. They were only willing to fill out a report for insurance purposes. Insurance did pay for a new camera, so I wasn’t really upset about that. It’s the lost photos that I still miss.
Now we keep our memory cards separate from the camera when we travel. So if the camera is stolen, they don’t get our photos. It might be handy to put these photos on a special “traveling” memory card. This way, they will stick with the camera if it gets lost/stolen, but any used/filled memory cards will be safe in a secure location.
captainobvious
why not stick a small ‘if found, contact: fubar@foo.com’ dymo label under the camera or am i missing something?
Chris
Brilliant!
Actually my Olympus allows you to change the start-up screen to a photo, so I wrote my details up in marker on a sheet and photo’d that for the start up screen … but I have a single shot at the start of each of my digital memory cards for the same reason (plus a “readme.txt” in case the memory card is read in a computer which is the same as on my USB memory sticks basically saying
“please send me the contents of this memory card/stick, and feel free to keep the card as a reward, or send me the card and I’ll send you something back as a thankyou!”) … need to update it to say “if you find this in a camera, PDA or computer, I’d like that back, please!”
kickstand
Don’t the images get erased every time you format the CF card?
klang
I will do this, using my 2 and a half year old as the whiteboard holder .. play on that soft spot in the heart of the person “finding” my camera
Kamal
Alright, that was amazing!
The blank one in the middle got me ROFL…
Abhinay
Amazing and Creative Idea!
Very Funny too!
E. Howe
Hey! I know that rubber duckie! That’s one well-traveled duck, you know.
here, take a look:
http://littleredtent.net/LRTblog/?p=364
Anyway, what a great idea–thanks for the laughs and the good idea.
All the best!
Scott
If you lost your camera how’d ya take all those pictures? hmm?
Scott
What is your pc were stolen too? USB?
Debra Ulrich
OMG!, you’re not just brilliant. You’re adorable too!
Katy
This is delightful beyond words!
psumommy
I would absolutely return your camera to you if I found it. PROMISE.
Horst Günther Burkhardt
Looks like you’re in danger of all the hot chicks stealing your camera just so they can return it and claim hugs, man
You’re on to something, you dog!
adf
JUST DON’T LOSE YOUR CAMERA!!!
Simple..
Gilly
This is absolutely brilliant. Thank you for making my day
Greets from Berlin/Germany
Jason
Great stuff! Very funny.
John Woods
Wow dude that is quite impressive. I like it.
RT
http://www.anonymous-web.cz.tc
sohojinks
I laughed out loud! funny stuff. I’d return the camera.
Grammar Nazi
Everybody on the planet stop saying/writing “anyways.” It’s “anyway.”
You wouldn’t say “at any rates,” or “anyhows” or “in any cases” or “in any events” would you?
In case you would say any of those, stop doing that as well!
As you were.
GM
maze
What if the camera is lost in a non english speaking country?Like France, Kazakhstan…
For info some camera have a little memory inside.
Cosmic Navel Lint
Love it!
Great piece of work — thanks for sharing!
Jason
Great piece. Its really funny bc this actually happened to me on the beach in Barcelona this past April. My camera fell out of my pocket and I had given up on finding it-I was really bummed bc I lost many photos that were important to me and irreplaceable. . The next day, after much sulking, I got an email from a stranger via Facebook. Some kind soul found my camera, looked through the hundreds of pics and saw a photo I took in the Philippines in Nov ’07. I was staying at a little “resort” in an inlet that was beautiful and so cheap that I took a pic of the bill that had my name on it. The guy who found my camera saw my name and looked me up on Facebook and then he shipped the camera back to me in NJ. A very nice person and an experience that taught me to spread kindness everywhere regardless to whom.
Tracy
I wish I had seen this post before I lost my camera
But I’m hoping this craigslist ad I created will help me find my camera and the fantastic, yet humiliating photos on the memory card…
http://stlouis.craigslist.org/laf/1511732041.html
boboleechron
Wow. I wish that I’d thought of this when I lost my camera…
How’d you ensure that the person returning it doesn’t try to steal (or misplace) you too?
Great idea, but I’d setup a Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail address expressly for the purpose instead, and forward email from the “lost camera” account to my main email account.
I wouldn’t want to give away too much info in the message. As it is, chances are the finder/stealer would already have access to oodles and oodles of my personal info stored in the camera/card/item!
GlitterBerri
You have such a cute smile!
Patrik
Very cool, love this playful approach and unless your camera is stolen I am sure it will find way back home to you
PJ
Sava
Really great. The bathroom photo is hilarious
marmotte6025
Very funny!
It is not just about the camera, isn’t it?
Do you have a second shower cap to share the bath?
Brad
What if you shoot film? You would have to have the good fortune of someone finding your camera that would pay for the film to be developed. Very amusing and truly useful! Good on ya.
Joshua L. Williams
this is awesome!!!
revenue robot
brilliant idea…! hopefully you get your camera back soon if you haven’t already
Ana
Lol! I would return your camera.
DailyGifBlog
Turned your photos into a gif on my blog. Hope you approve!
Rob
Great idea. I found a camera recently, and went through the 100 or so photos to see if I could find some way to contact the owner. I found photos of a new born baby and its birth certificate with its name, but I googled a bunch and couldn’t find any references to the baby and/or its parents online! I put it on lost & found on craigslist, but I have yet to get any responses.
If it were a really nice camera, I might not be going through so much trouble to find the owner
Joel Palenychka
Awesome idea, and I love your sense of humor with the whole thing.
Julian
I actually took a picture of some text: “If you found this camera, please send it back to me (address), and I will be grateful”. Or so. It certainly takes up less card space. The guy’s idea is cute and all, but I fear a thief might just format the whole card anyway…
conrick
Amusing,good luck !
A more realistic one it would be:
Lucky you,you just got yourself a camera!
just to keep your conscience clean please
send me the memory card to this address
****** ** ** **** Enjoy it !
but if you send the camera, you’ll earn a spot
in heaven.
Emily Suzanne
I think the idea of it personalizes the finder/thief to the rightful owner.. making them feel guilty not returning it.
and it gives them the opportunity to return it blamelessly.
Its a cute idea, I hope it works!
Michelle
Love it! Too funny!
restartist
this is so wonderful.
but wot if they are blind?
or deaf?
there are a lot of things to consider these days.
what if they are mute?
i think you have a good thing going tho.
xo.eternal
restartist.
gtm
You better add this one too… for thieves and keepers.
“OR you can keep the camera but at least upload the pictures to Flickr or Photobucket and mail me the link. I don’t want to loose my holiday photos”
xobuta
lol this one is seriously funny! i feel like taking a bunch of shots like this and saving it in mhy camera memory
Kush
Seriously Genius. And it probably will work too! Finally at the same time you probably will make someone’s day when they find your camera, or steal it.
joshua
You left your camera in a national park? It’s not yours anymore. It’s litter. The minimum fine for littering in California is $100.
Henry in Melbourne, AUS.
I found a Minolta Capios 115 (SN:-01523657) at a tram stop. I waited and the owner never returned. I developed the film and the owners or their Japanese? friends were standing in front of a hotel. The prints were date stamped. The hotel refused to help and Minolta also refused as they preferred the insurance company replace a lost camera rather than reunite the owners with their lost camera. Good Luck.
Henry in Melbourne, AUS.
Further to the above post, I’ve also posted here:- http://forums.photographyreview.com/showthread.php?p=395284#post395284
Colin Graves
Fantastic. Brilliant! I am envious of you for thinking this up! Your pictures a perfect!
Standing ovation from me!
Sincerely;
Colin Graves
AweMan
I engraved “Not for sale or Pawn” on mine with an electric pencil I also included my name, address and Ph#.
If you find mine you can have both the pics and the mem card and i‘ll even give you a modest reward, just send back the $800.00 camera!
There are some honest people out there, But there are some real thugs too! Needless to say, when traveling I have it securely around my neck! I never take the camera bag off unless I am in a vehicle or a room Even then if I leave the vehicle or room the bag and cam goes with! I figure if the IDIOTS will steal a broken igloo cooler with Mold inside out of the back of my pickup truck. They wouldn‘t hesitate to break a window to get a Nice camera!
erdal
i think there is top secret photos in this mangy camera
almassy
Great idea! i dont have ur camera, but now i have your website! thanks for sharing it.
Matt
Brilliant AND hilarious ! 20 thumbs up dude!( borrowing from 4 ppl above me .. thats right .. do the math! )
Shaun Tollerton
Nice, but I just have a few of my business cards in my camera bag. If my large camera isn’t round my neck it’s in the bag anyway.
m.e.
brilliant! this is an idea worth aping.….*:0)
carola lorca
Dude that was so freaking hilarious !!
what a great idea !!
Andrea
Thank you!
koopz
*golf clap*
Anne Holman
That is so good. My phone left itself (accidently by me in reality) in a taxi in Singapore in September(never to be seen by me again). It cost me lots of $ to replace and I still have problems trusting myself with any portable items of value. I so should have had a plan like yours. Well done!!!
MJ
Very clever, thanks for the chuckle.
ANYWAYS, this post is currently showing up as one of the most-faved items in Google Reader. Cheers!
Tracey
You are hilarious! Thanks for sharing — I really enjoyed this post! =)
reality-check
I can only assume this is humourous.…because nobody is going to find a camera and return it. The only thing u might find, is a virus email to ur email address, with a kid teaching u a lesson by being so dumb that he wipes ur entire computer, thus u have no pictures at all!
Next, ur gonna make a post about making a label with ur full address inside ur mobile phone incase that gets lost.…
But as i read my reply, i can only assume, u made this blog to see how many dumbass’s would actually do it.…that would be humouress
JB
Very good tutorial, but your tip is not very convenient for my 4x5” camera.
Wongtong
Hahahahaha.
Sam
Great and funny idea!
Only thing: your email address is written far too small (and it is way too long and complicated, too).
And I really love that picture that I don’t remember. It had a rubber ducky inside, I think
bee
Soooo great, love it!
BaSH PR0MPT
I laughed, I cried, I wee’d a little bit! <3
hanafi
Nice idea.. but that will only work if whoever find it didn’t format the memory card.
Joe B
But what good would it be having this Andrew’s picts on my digital camera !!!!?!?!?!?
Really creative Andrew !!!
jessica/vintageportalen.se
this is so clever and very funny.
Nancy
…Oh…i FOUND it…i’ll be right over…
Eugene
It is personal and cute. I think probability, that a person would return a camera to it’s owner with such message, increases significantly. Well, jealous as I am of this great idea and implementation, I need to find something about what I can complain. The title , “A Pictorial Guide to avoiding Camera Loss”, is not accurate. You can not avoid a camera loss with this guide. But you might get it back.
Alex
Awesome !!!
Nate Balcom
Ha great pictorial post. I just found you on friend feed. Good stuff. I subscribed to your rss feed as well. Keep up the good work.
ziggygirl
YOU DIDN’T LOST YOUR CAMERA RIGHT?!other way how did you take the pictures above very funny =))
Andy Bonjour
Thanks for this. I enjoyed it.
Tess
Silly. Inane. Egotistical.
Typical of today’s “young people.”
Why not just take a photo of your business card that has all the contact points?
Oh, I forgot. Today’s young people have no business cards, no business sense, no business.
Erica B.
This totally made my day!
Morgan R / Seattle, WA
Very well done!
A sense of humor goes a long way. Most people will return a found object if they have a way to do so. This is a really cute way to make that possible. And because it is so funny, folks will probably go the extra mile (even some who otherwise might not have).
For all those who commented and worried that a thief would learn to much about you … you worry too much, get a life
The message is aimed at someone who finds the camera, not at a thief.
When you presume that most people are basically well intentioned, you’ll find out that your trust is usually rewarded. Thanks for providing a funny way to encourage this approach to life!
brian
@kickstand:
“Don’t the images get erased every time you format the CF card?”
Why are you formatting your CF card “every time”? You only ever need to do that once, then you never do it again. I think you’re doing it wrong.
Camilla
For anyone who finds a camera or memory card, there’s always this site: http://ifoundyourcamera.blogspot.com/
I love this idea though — hilarious!
Andrew
@Tess:
Actually I do have business cards. I made them out of old perfume cards.
http://www.andrewmcdonald.net.au/sweet-smelling-business-cards/
ROCCO
hahah, Andrew thanks for the laughs, I enjoyed it, my wife enjoyed it, even my dogs enjoyed it.…now please send me $250 via PayPal and you’ll get your phone back.
Sincerely,
ROCCO
Kaye
I love it. You’re a genius!
tukangpoto
I like the idea! but i think you have to go straight, it’s too much chit-chat.
Joanna
Good plan, endearing yourself to the finder of your camera by telling a story. Those are some social smarts!
Lee
Brilliant — thanks for a good laugh in this time of stress!
Maja
That’s soooooo awesome…i guess u’ve got great sense of humour!:)Greetings from PL, take care!:)
CrowNology
Hey ‘Versace’,
You really are quite a twisted fellow.
I am going to try out the business card idea…At the next Small Business “Event”…Hopefully someone will have an allergy and really remember me!
Andrea
PARKER
great idea, I’m off to make some similiar pics now ; )
Big T
Dude, you need to clean your tub
Jennifer Miller
LOL, I love it!! I’m forwarding this to my Mother-in-Law who is constantly losing cameras :-p
Errrrrrrrrr
But you didnt include your email address!!!
Veronica
Well done! I will be implementing this strategy ASAP.
Savannah Spivey
You are hilarious. Can we meet in a future life? Or this one? Merry Christmas my friend
Carson Burneisen
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing websites that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. It?s the old what goes around comes around routine. Did you acquired lots of links and I see lots of trackbacks??
Gopi krishna
Actually we have 2 cameras.Before 2 years in My Home Some THiefs are stolen. we can taken some Photos with that camera..how can i recover the 2 cameras Now.. Plz Tell me the Solution.…
Shirubya
I didn’t found your camera, but I think you’re really hot! XD
Brennig
Awesomely excellent idea!
Ben
How did you take those pictures if you lost your camera?
Ben
Never mind, I rarely read ahead of time. Just like looking at pictures.
Kent
When my girlfriend at the time was studying at the dance academy, they shared changing room with those there for weekend courses. And someone stole her dancing shoes!
I suggested she put up a sign “You that by mistake got my shoes with you, please put them back, I would appreciate it”. Next weekend, no. But the one after that, they were back
So this “might” work sometimes, if the one stealing them actually have a conscience
djuro
I would return your camera in a heartbeat!
Even if I have stolen it from you.
(Which I would never do.)
Veevers
I hope you lose that camera and I find it– I’d be down with getting a free hug from a hot funny stranger.
GingerMandy
this is the first time i’ve seen your blog and i think i just want to squeeze you because you’re really friggin adorable. alright, that’s all.
Tiffany
this absolutely made my bad day not so bad a day. =D
…I’m scarred for life because of the bath photo, but other than that…
elise hurst
Yay!! My fave post
Nice work Andrew!
Novomir
Incidentally, I have a similar painting with the ducks:)
http://digital-drawings.blogspot.com/2009/09/duck.html
Raul Delosier
Only want to say your article is awesome. The clarity in your post is simply impressive and i can take for granted you are an expert on this field. Well with your permission allow me to grab your rss feed to keep up to date with succeeding post. Thanks a million and please keep up the respectable work
Arek
I wish I had your camera after this pictorial so that I could give it back. Hope you find/get it back! Great work!
To clarify, if I had your camera it’d be because I found it, not stole it.
kate @ Slightlyeverything
i think this is just wonderful! Love your photography!
muhammad dadu
Geniouse work
ironic though.
bselter
oh great…where was this blog 2 months ago…just before I lost my camera?
Selurus
Thats a very creative idea and would melt the heart of someone who finds it. I hope you never lose your camera though.
Déborah
Lmao! Love it! A hug from Brazil! xoxo
Andrea
Saw this on tv in Sacramento,Ca. great idea.
SMiGL
excellent facial expressions
Paul
Funny
margarita
I loved it. I am always losing my camera as well and it does have photos of me and what I have been doing. But It think the best is to put your name, telephone number and reward if it found. It works.
WhitePineLane
Love it! What a mind, to come up with that! Too funny!
EB
Wow. I’d not only return your camera, I’d buy a plane ticket and return it in person over cocktails and a candlelit dinner at a chic restaurant where despite the haute cuisine the waiters pretend not to notice our cheap shoes and cater to our every whim. I don’t know that you’d put out, but perhaps you’d pick up the tab?
Family on Bikes
Hilarious! You can lose your camera in my panniers and I’ll get it back to you!
Sean
why do you not have a digg button on this article…that is priceless!!
Pat OBrien
This was pretty funny. I enjoyed reading it, and seems like it could be effective too!
Follow me on twitter! http://www.twitter.com/obrienstudios
Rie
You are soooooo funny and cute!!
And a great actor, too.
domo arigato (thank you)!
you made my day.
billso
This idea is so full of WIN! Thanks for sharing.
Esther Devonshire
Sup, just found your site on yahoo. You have some great posts.
Mme
Best. Idea. Ever.
Silent Media is not yet dead. Thanks for the laugh.
M. Currie
This is a great idea. I once found a digital camera on the side of the road, with a bunch of pictures in it. None were local, and none showed any landmarks I could identify, so I had no way of finding who owned it. Any ID would have gotten someone back his camera and his snapshots.
Itai
Brilliant! Wonderful facial expressions. Reminds me a bit of Dr. Seuss…
Derek
Great idea, but I took the easy route and shot a photo with my contact info on it for the flash screen that comes on when turning on the camera.
andrew peter collins
I’ll get in the bath with you Andrew. Cheers Andrew.
Anette Gossen
Stumbled across your blog while searching through google. I read the beginning and its fantastic! I do not have time to read it all now, but I have bookmarked this site and will read the rest tonight. I also like the theme, where did you find it? : )
Jeanne
SUPERB!! I like the idea..
this will be useful if the one who found it or stole it has interest in the photos you took, unless they’ll just sell it before checking whats kept inside..
Jordan
How did you take all these pictures if you don’t have a camera?
Roberto
Fantastica idea, yo lo pondre en practica en mi camara, en este momento, fabuloso,
Todd Doubleu
It’s also possible that you might lose just a memory card so perhaps you extend and test this idea further. For a small investment (memory is getting cheaper,) you could intentionally lose several cards with your photo montage pre-loaded. The number of returned cards might give you a sense of the odds of your camera coming back should you ever lose it. If money is no object, you could buy a bunch of cameras and lose them instead.
obis11
this is better than lojack
Brad
If you lose your camera in Thailand, you will need only one photo, which says, “Bye-bye”
anna
Brilliant! Thank you for the chuckle.
CJ
Andrew,
Perhaps you might offer to trade your camera for a razor.
Des
Superb, had some crap days lately and this made me laugh so hard — well done mate, I will be showing this to a few friends — may have to censor the bath pic as no one should have to suffer that one
lol.
DJ
absolutely brilliant! your post and your smile
Stephen
Brilliant!
youcantfindme
If you ever want to see your precious camera again, you better not pull any funny moves. I want $2,000 plus a bottle of Absinthe (It better be top shit my boy!) left at a secret location in a green duffle bag. I have left an assortment of clues to finding the location of our meeting place outside of your home. This is the first one:
The yonder bee is blonder than the summer leaves of autumn trees.
If you can’t understand what i’m saying, tough shit.
You have approximately 12 hours to retrieve your camera or I’m peeing on it.
Alan (Santa)
Good one mate… If I found camera I may kept it hahahah very goos expression!
Cheers
Mark
Great laugh really! You can also try posting on http://www.camerafound.com
But I give you 10 points for originality man!
Joshua Doubleyou
Great article! I will be doing that when I get home.
Denis
very funny
Deborah
This is fabulous. I really enjoyed the humour you injected into a great practical idea, and at the risk of sounding repetitive you do do have a great smile!
Oh — and for the people wondering about the photos “staying” on the memory card — quite a few cameras allow you to mark a few photos as “favourites” these don’t get deleted when you download the rest of the pictures. ( Obviously this is only useful if you have asked the comp to delete the rest of the photos after downloading them!)
Janneke
sooo funny! i like the bath photo, nice idea
Ed
I’d probably keep your camera and post these pictures to a Flickr page I would create as soon as I found these pictures on the camera.
Tate
I am still cracking up.
Nandan
Excellent.. Very creative!
Jackie Brown
Amazing! I actually laughed out loud at work
P.S. I wish I found your camera! I would love a hug… you are a total cutie.
RJFerret
I found your camera! http://twitpic.com/uznot
(or simply click my name to see the pic twist)
Tisha
That’s hilarious!
Elizabeth Kaylene
“I don’t even have a dog!” I love your facial expressions throughout these shots. This is a great idea, and maybe even a fun way to update my blog (whiteboard + marker + me + someone operating the camera = fun blog post in pictures)!
Huong
This is so great…thanks for the smile
Charlene Day
Thanks for the laugh! Awesome!
donna flores
THAT’S THE BOMB lol yeah that’s the bomb ;-p
samar
so funny.…very creative…i think i’ll try it too…kkk… bye bye from Brazil!!
Katrina
This is so amusing!
And I love the blank board shot (goes near second to the bathroom shot XD).
PS. That “or in my dog” shot? Made my jaw drop.
DG
cute. a vid is better. too many pics to save and x out from uploading.
Hope
I’ve never posted on a blog with close to 200 comments before so forgive me. What with that and the whole bathtub thing I may need a minute…contrary to popular thought, we Americans are a sensitive lot sometimes. heehee
Ajith Nair
Funtastic!
Hmm, but I’m still not gonna e-mail you! HAHA loser.
camilla
I Loved it!!!
-=Nikki=-
Holy balls, that cracked me up. Can we please go on a date? Maybe a whiteboard date via email cuz I’m in the states… we can go back and forth with photos like this. Hmm, still not convinced? Erm, well, i’m hot and not underage? I swear on my awesome ass. That’s all I got, did it work? kbye
Tom
Funny…
A couple of thoughts:
1. It’s not really a good tutorial unless it’s actually worked at least once,(Has it?) and…
2. I wonder how many of the “he’s cute” comment posters are female…:)
haha
that pwns.
GUGAW
such a cute idea!!
Karen
How could someone NOT want to return a camera after that?
Williams Mendez
The Best idea ever!!!
:P
Fred
Bwahaha.
Christopher Stansfield
Very funny, and absolutely clever. To those cynics who insist on disparaging this or who seem to believe that “no one would ever return a camera,” (yes, reality-check, I’m looking at you), you might want to reconsider your worldview, since I routinely return lost objects and have on several occasions had lost objects returned to me. You might also want to check your karma, and your sense of basic human decency.
As for @Tess– Wow. You might want to up the dosage on your Metamucil. I’m guessing you’re someone who hasn’t received a phone call from the kids or grandkids in a long time (gee, I wonder why?) and have decided to take your unhappiness out on those who are younger than you. The reason he’s doing this instead of “taking a picture of his business cards” (which are, in the 21st century, completely wasteful landfill-fillers and forest-defoliators) is because anybody with even a minimal understanding of human psychology (yep, that’s what my very adult degree is in) realizes that a personal appeal and sense of humor will increase a person’s chances of being helped tenfold over a completely impersonal set of factual information. It’s one thing to be sour, but the human impulse to spread one’s dissatisfaction around continues to appall me.
Andrew: I hope, should you ever decide to upgrade your camera, you will leave this one out to see if someone returns it. I’m sure we all want to know whether this is successful or not– I have a feeling it will be.
Tammy
Very, very cute. I love it!
I hope you get your camera back.
Gabrielle
LOL!
Although if you hadn’t already posted your bath picture and you lost your camera and you get an email that says
“Hi, I have a picture of you in the bath. How much will you give me to NOT share the contents of this camera with the rest of the world?”
it would most probably be me.
Ray
Great idea. The only hard part is deleting all pictures except the one with the address. On mine, it’s easier to delete them all and then copy the address picture back to the camera.
Till
Great idea
unitb612
my favourites:
“unless you stole it…“
“i don’t even have a dog“
” “
thanks for this! made me giggle
Simon Fairbairn
Brilliant idea wonderfully executed. Good job!
Jim Goldstein
Clever and very funny. Let me know how it works out for you
If anything it will help you get back your lost CF card.
Jo
soooo funny
funny — ‘unless you have personal space issues’ (issues as in Kath n Kim Issues
)
linz
That’s actually a good idea. My Canon DSLRs have my contact info embedded into all the exif but how many people would be able to find that?
BTW, how many emails have you received from people claiming to have found your camera since you posted this?
ImagoPapillon
Great idea.
And with this funny pictures an extra.
Lets see if I can come up with something like this for my own…
stephanie
“I’ll probably hug you out of gratefulness… unless you have personal space issues.” That was hilarious! Has this actually worked before when/if you lost your camera?
Kate
Oh my goodness, I loved it. I will have to do that, something is always happening to my camera. Not losing it, but I have had one stolen, and one ruined by a small child. Thank you. It was a great start to my day.
Shelby
Oh, this entertained me, my roommate, and soon my entire floor.
Well done, love the hilarious expressions and the “respectful distance” part. Plus, the shower-cap and duckie were priceless.
Jerick
I lost my cameras THREE times last year (dropped it in a river, lost in airport, then our house got robbed and 3 of my cameras were stolen)
I should have seen this when I lost the first one, tough luck but wouldn’t be helpful unless a fish comes and brought it back.
Funny, extremely funny. Great one.
Hellofacey
I just apologized to the love of my life that I found the man I want to marry (unless you are already taken of course). And to those who say it wont work, I say blasphemy! Too adorable you and that camera not to want to return it to you.
Kelly Lester
Seriously the greatest idea ever. But perhaps even more importantly you are so cute. If I wasn’t already very married I’d want to marry you.
I know… get in line!
Thanks for the really terrific idea though! I’m going to check out the rest of your blog now.
Wing Loon
…awesome,
antisocial95
Congrats, I saw this on b3ta! Via the Bored Ninja, which linked here.
Debby Bruck
You are a genius with a sense of humor. Loved it! This will help so many people.
Blessings to you
Debby
Tegan Rote
I found This Blog while I was searching bing on key term digital. I like content posted. Keep up the good work.Thanks for sharing!
Jordan
My friend just sent this to me after learning that I lost my camera. It made me laugh and not feel so sad anymore. Thanks! By the way, when I get my new camera I am going to do this just in case.
Laine
You are…just awesome.
FLEJ Stenton
Dear Grammar Nazi,
It takes a smart man to communicate with anyone at any level, you might find you have some trouble with this.
Dear Andrew, I think you a are very funny man, I love your work!
ANYWAYS!!!!!!!! Cheers, always FLEJ!!! xxx
Ps, Glitter Berry is sooooo right you do have a cute smile.
Doris R
You are too clever for words…or is that pictures? Anyway, love the idea, and it sure made me smile.
sure thing
Now if i was to find a camera that was worth about 8,000 dollars i am not sure i would return it, i dont care about your pictures, now think about it.
anon
Similar to the Dymo, I stick a return mail sticker (which has my phone number) on the bottom of my camera and other similar things. I protect it with a piece of “Magic” tape. I had someone call about a pair of prescription glasses. And it’s help retrieve things left behind in hotels.
I also try to put a text file with contact info on my SD cards. But as someone already pointed out, if (when) you reformat the card after downloading all the photos, you delete whatever’s on the card. But then many of us are just filing the cards when done as they’ve become cheap enough, at least if we don’t take thousands of photos.
But I love the humor of the idea presented. It will nudge the finder to do the right thing. Offering a reward or 15 seconds of fame on your blog may help too. But humor’s the best.
Saderchick
This author claims that after dropping 200 wallets, he had an 88% return rate (w/ contents intact) if the wallet contained a photo of a baby. You’re cute Andrew, but I’d suggest you beg, borrow or steal an infant to improve your odds.
John Frum
I was referred here from another site, so I’m not a fan, as the majority of commenters here appear to be, and I didn’t quite react the way they did. My immediate thoughts were more along the lines of, “If I found a camera, and it had pictures like these on it, I wouldn’t return it and give the owner another chance to repeat the performance.”
Sorry. Not trying to be negative here. Just trying to express a point of view you might want to consider, and can use. After all, how likely is the person who finds your camera to already be a fan?
I’ve done a similar thing, but it is short and to the point, and doesn’t involve any cutesiness. We’d have to conduct an experiment to determine which approach is more effective. My experience indicates that it’s generally best to be direct.
Felicity Waters
I liked the approach! but perhaps only 3 frames are needed?
allie
don’t forget to have a baby holding those signs: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article6681923.ece
it looks like some sort of personal approach does often work better than an impersonal direct one.
Kris
Great post, very funny pictures.
In case you are seriously worried about losing your camera, here’s an even better way to tell the finder what to do with it:
https://code-no.com/shop/konzept.php
(switch to english language at top right of website)
and here’s the solution for your cameras, cell phones, iPods, notebooks:
https://code-no.com/shop/index.php?language=en&cat=c1_Label.html
cheers
Kris
Bernard Smyth
I just took a photo of my business card and I leave it as the first frame in the hope that someone finding the camera will get in touch
Autumn
This is
#1 — Completely awesome,
and
#2 — Not going to work if your camera uses actual film.
tom
Awesome. But I wish I discovered this post and it was the post was from from the person that found it, and not you.
If I found it, I’d post all the photos and talk about what a genius you are. Then i’d steal the idea.
Rock on.
olofson
hilarious… but someone have to wipe of the coffee from my monitor now. The best thing so far this year.… i hope you got your camera back.
Lady Fi
I’ve found your camera. So as soon as you’re out of the bath, come on over and fetch it!
Christian
Please oh please, if someone stole it, let them make one of these in return explaining how they’re holding the camera hostage, or at least never giving it back because the camera grew tired of Andrew and having to watch him take baths (among other things), without ever feeling sufficiently appreciated in return.
Sanja
LoL
you made me smile so much with your photos, awesome idea, and I really love your sense of humor but hun..your bathtub needs some serious washing with chlorine hehehe Hugiesss :*
vanessa
hey hehehe good idea just lov it!!!!! u may not have your camera back …but i’m sure that u make some friends and had a good laugh about it!!!!!congrats from Brazil!!!!!
Cat
After a pretty crappy week so far, this was a real highlight *lol* I mean the post of course *cough cough*
Thanks!
Charlotte
Hilarious!!!
Kuber Sarup
really funny… period…
Casey
Haaaa, this is circulating all around the internet, and for good reason.
You’re super awesome man.
mum
Andrew, I will be round with my scrubbing brush after seeing your bath pic.…..those tiles look filthy!.…;)..you naughty boy!
van
I find your camera and now that I see your email and refuse to return it is this considered theft?