So I'd decided I was going to do some shooting at a local park today, but I thought I should wait until this evening to get some nice warm near-sunset light. Around six, I leave for the park, throwing the hiking guide book in the car with me so I can look up the directions. Half-way there, I realize I had grabbed the wrong book and the directions aren't in there. So, I try to find it just based on what I remember. Obviously, I can't find it, so I turn around and go home. I get the book and head out again. Of course, I find the park is only 1 mile down the road from where I had been before, or so I think. I park and get out of the car, only to realize that I'm at the wrong end of the lake I was going to shoot. I had been hoping to do some hiking as well, but I'm rapidly running out of light for that since the trails close at sunset. Oh well, I think, I'll just set up here and see what there is to see. I pull out the tripod and set it up, and then pull out my MX only to realize that the quick-release plate for the tripod isn't on the camera. It isn't on the tripod or in the bag either. Doh! I guess I'll be hand-holding. It turns out to be just as well, because in my frustration I can't seem to be inspired to shoot anything around me. I fire off a couple frames and finally decide to leave.
Not wanting to give up totally, I go ahead and drive to the other end of the park to see a pond that sounded promising in the book. I actually find the right trail this time and wander about 100 yards down it, only to see a sign reading "Area Closed for Restoration." "You've got to be kidding me," I say aloud. This turns out to be the most fortuitous thing I've done all day because the sound of my voice causes two white-tailed deer to pop their heads up out of the grass next to me. I get a couple frames off before they head into the woods. I decide to call this an omen, ignore the sign and head down to the pond. I find a fairly friendly grouping of geese there and (despite my usual opinion that the creatures are rather nasty) proceed to get quite a few decent shots in. At one point I glance down and notice that my frame counter has just advanced to 36, just in time for another deer to come out of the woods up the hill, which is now bathed in that warm light I've been waiting all day for. I quick check my bag to see what else I have in the way of film and find to my horror that I only have one back-up roll, of Kodak T400CN. Black and white wasn't exactly what I had in mind for today. So, I take my last frame and head back up the trail to the car. On the way, I see a woman crouched down in the trail, examining a box turtle that has wandered into the path. I'm nearly out of light now, but I go ahead and load the 400CN, rate it at 800 and proceed to take some turtle portraits. Fortunately, I did have a small pocket tripod in the bag, so I get down on my belly and face to face with the turtle for about a dozen more shots. So, all in all, not a bad day of shooting. Upon arriving home, I reflected on what had been the most significant thing I learned today. Was it to not leave the tripod plate just lying about? Was it to double check the equipment before leaving home? Was it to make sure of your directions _before_ getting in the car? Was it to always, always take an extra roll of film? No, the most significant thing I learned today was that I need longer, faster lenses ;) -Matt on 6/15/02 2:27 PM, David Brooks at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Well if the rain goes away and the fog lifts so i can see at least 25 > feet: ), I hope to shoot an old wood shed in the back of the horse farm with > some FP+4 and a few fallen down barns in the area.Fog would make for a good > picture on some i have in mind but its too thick as i speak. > > Dave > - ----- Original Message ----- > From: "CBWaters" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Friday, June 14, 2002 6:34 PM > Subject: Weekend shootings > > >> I want to burn some film this weekend and don't really have anything going >> on so figure I will wander around the yard or possibly a local park. >> There's always the family get-together on Father's Day (happy day to all > the >> PDMLDads!) >> >> What's everyone else planning to capture this weekend? >> >> Cory Waters >> >> "Technology isn't perfect but it sure beats a wig full of angry > bunnies" -- >> The announcer from "Sheep in the BIG City" on Cartoon Network >> - >> This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, >> go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to >> visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . > - - > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
