History Main / CameraObscurer

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', Rincewind uses a camera flash to defeat an EldritchAbomination and later finds out that he only has a photo of his thumb to show for it.

* ''Series/MadTV'': one part of an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkCSbIJO3EQ Average Asian skit]] ends with this.

* Parodied in [[https://xkcd.com/2472/ one strip]] from Webcomic/{{xkcd}}, in which a photo taken of a house has a finger obscuring it. The photographer believed it to be part of a cloaking device, spurring rumors of a fuzzy blob that stumps city planners.

* That famous picture of George W. Bush looking through the binoculars and they have caps on (which may or may not have been manipulated; [[http://www.snopes.com/photos/politics/binoculars.asp undetermined according]] to ''{{WebSite/Snopes}}'').

For other methods of ruining a photograph, see InconvenientDarkroomIllumination.

* ''Series/FullHouse'': In the prologue to "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night", Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky attempt to film their twin sons Nicky and Alex in their new big-boy beds for the first time, only to find they aren't there. Jesse says "Either they're gone or I left the lens cap on." Becky then notices the lens cap on the camera and tells Jesse "Both."

[[folder:Film]]

* In the {{Object Show|s}} ''WebAnimation/BattleForDreamIsland'''s third season premiere, Ruby, who's manning the camera for her alliance's vlog, has made this mistake every single day for ''three years straight'' because she didn't know what a lens cap is (Lampshading the lengthy time gap between BFDIA and IDFB).

* In the {{Object Show|s}} ''WebAnimation/BattleForDreamIsland'''s third season premiere, Ruby is implied to have made this mistake every single day ''three years straight'' for her alliance's vlog because she didn't know what a lens cap is (Lampshading the lengthy time gap between BFDIA and IDFB).

* In the first episode of ''WebAnimation/BattleForDreamIsland'''s third season, Ruby is implied to have made this mistake every day for ''three years'' because she didn't know what a lens cap is.

* In the first episode of ''WebAnimation/BattleForDreamIsland'''s third season, Ruby is implied to have made this mistake every day for ''[[UpToEleven three years]]'' because she didn't know what a lens cap is.

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', [[SupremeChef Sanji]]'s first WantedPoster had a horribly drawn picture of his face instead of the photos on the posters of the other Straw Hat Pirates. This happened because Attache, the Marine Photo Officer in charge of taking said photos, had accidentally left the lens cap on when trying to take a picture of Sanji.

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', [[SupremeChef Sanji]]'s first WantedPoster had a horribly drawn picture of his face instead of the photos on the posters of the other Straw Hat Pirates. This happened because Attache, the Marine Photo Officer in charge of taking said photos, had accidentially left the lens cap on when trying to take a picture of Sanji.

* ''Series/DoctorWho''. In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E1E2Spyfall "Spyfall"]], Ryan and Yaz are posing as journalists to interview a CorruptCorporateExecutive. Ryan is the photographer and has a minor OhCrap moment on realising he's forgotten to take the lens cap off; fortunately the interviewee didn't notice.

* On ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', Irving manages to do this with an ''imaginary'' camera. [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext Yeah...]]

** In La Candace-Cabra, the boys capture a chupacabra, but it escapes with help from Perry. When they look back at the pictures they took of it, none show the full chupacabra, and some show a thumb covering the phone camera lens.

** In La Candace-Cabra, the boys capture a chupacabra, but it escapes with help from Perry. When they try to show pictures of it, several show a thumb covering the lens

A character takes a picture -- often of a special or spectacular event that cannot be recreated. When the photo is developed later, it's discovered that the photographer had his/her finger(s) on the lens or left the lens cap on, obscuring the subject of the photo. Early cameras used a secondary lens to provide the viewfinder's view, distinct from the lens that actually exposed the film. This made it possible for operators to unknowingly block the "taking lens" as the obstruction would not be visible through the viewfinder.

In the days of film, the mistake would not be discovered until days, weeks, or even months later when film was developed, long after the opportunity to retake the photo had passed.

A character takes a picture with a camera, and the photo develops, revealing that the photographer had his/her finger(s) on the lens or left the lens cap on, obscuring the subject of the photo. Early cameras used a second lens, directly above the main lens, to provide the viewfinder's view. Since the lens which the photographer is looking through is separate from the lens which will expose the film when the shutter is clicked, it was easy to unknowingly cover the exposing lens. Since most twin-lens cameras were film cameras, the mistake would not be discovered until the film was developed, long after the opportunity to retake the photo had passed.

SLR cameras use a mirror and prism to show the exact view through the lens in the viewfinder, making this mistake unlikely. Digital cameras display the image immediately after it's taken, allowing this mistake to be quickly corrected should it happen. However it's possible with a rangefinger camera, such as the Leica M that's still popular among photojournalists.

See also BodyWipe. Not to be confused with the [[VideoGame/FatalFrame Camera Obscura]] or FilmTheHand. Nor should it be confused with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_Obscura Camera Obscura]], from which this trope [[JustForPun derives its name.]] For other methods of ruining a photograph, see InconvenientDarkroomIllumination.

See also BodyWipe. Not to be confused with the [[VideoGame/FatalFrame Camera Obscura]] or FilmTheHand. Nor should it be confused with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_Obscura Camera Obscura]], from which this trope [[JustForPun derives its name.]]

See also BodyWipe. Not to be confused with the [[Franchise/FatalFrame Camera Obscura]] or FilmTheHand. Nor should it be confused with the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_Obscura Camera Obscura]], from which this trope [[JustForPun derives its name.]]

SLR cameras use a mirror and prism to show the exact view through the lens in the viewfinder, making this mistake unlikely. Digital cameras display the image immediately after it's taken, allowing this mistake to be quickly corrected should it happen. However it's still possible with a rangefinger camera, such as the Leica M that's popular among photojournalists.

SLR cameras use a mirror and prism to show the exact view through the lens in the viewfinder, making this mistake unlikely. Digital cameras display the image immediately after it's taken, allowing this mistake to be quickly corrected should it happen.

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', [[SupremeChef Sanji]]'s first WantedPoster had a horribly drawn picture of his face instead of the photos on the posters of the other Straw Hat Pirates. This happened because Attack, the Marine Photo Officer in charge of taking said photos, had accidentially left the lens cap on when trying to take a picture of Sanji.