Your #1 tip that even grey-templed landscapers might adopt

[Lightbender]

Vaughn, there are quite a few falls named 'bridal veil' falls. Which one were you at?
-Nice shot by the way.

Don't trust a waterfall to keep falling in the same place just because you asked it to pose for you.

Photographing near the base of Bridalvail Fall in February, I had the water nicely focused on the 8x10 GG. Then it disappeared. I took my head out from under the darkcloth, looked up and saw the water heading straight down at me. I just had time to cover the whole camera with the darkcloth and close the pack cover.

That was a lot of (cold) water! And in the shade! Thank goodness for the relative low-flow of winter! Happened two more times before I could get the film exposed. We spent lunch time just up the road with my camera gear (and me) drying in the sun on a rock wall.

I was set up in about the same spot as in this photo, but this photo was in October...even lower flow. 8x10 Carbon print.

[dsphotog]

If there are no clouds in the sky, stay home and print.

[Brian Schall]

When backing up to get that perfect perspective, make sure you know what's around you.



When I looked down, this guy was about 2 feet from my 2 feet.



Luckily it was October and he was happy on the warm rock.

[Corran]

Let's just say that a Ries tripod is a terrible thing to abandon by a forest service road.

A couple of years ago now, I left my Pentax Spotmeter on the side of the road after stopping to take a shot. I didn't realize it till next time I went to take photos and my meter was nowhere to be found. I used a different meter and kept looking, and looking, and finally figured out that I must have left it last time I shot 4x5...sure enough, over a week later I drove the 50 miles back out to where I was at the time, and there it was, just like I left it, no worse for wear despite having been in the rain and sun, etc., for a fairly long time. I was lucky, that time! I stopped putting the meter down on the ground after that...

[Regular Rod]

"There's no such thing as bad weather, only incorrect clothing..."



RR

[Heroique]

...I drove the 50 miles back out to where I was at the time, and there it was, just like I left it...

Reunited and it feels so good...

I've never left behind my Pentax digital, but once at a cliff's edge, I fumbled my Sekonic L-308s, watched it plummet 200-300 feet, then bounce between granite boulders like a pinball. I gave it up for lost.

Next day, I hiked down on a search-and-rescue mission, and to my delight, found it resting on top an 18%-gray rock! It had a glint off its lumisphere that seemed to say, "You needn't have worried, I've been enjoying a 15-ev sun bath."

Still works fine, but there’s a battle-scar on its bottom corner.

[Corran]

Wow, 200+ feet! I would never have guessed it'd still work.

[Doremus Scudder]

Let's just say that a Ries tripod is a terrible thing to abandon by a forest service road. You can imagine my horror when, many miles down the road, well after sunset, soon after switching on my headlights, I noticed the empty seat behind me....

I've never left behind my Pentax digital, but once at a cliff's edge, I fumbled my Sekonic L-308s, watched it plummet 200-300 feet, then bounce between granite boulders like a pinball. I gave it up for lost.

Heroique -- I've done this twice now. The first time was in Death Valley. The tripod was gone before I got back, a nice Manfrotto with a sturdy pan/tilt head. Luckily, I had a spare in the rig. I bought another Manfrotto in Las Vegas a week or so later; smaller and with a three-way universal head (pan/tilt without handles). I still have that one, but I did manage to walk a couple of miles down the coast one early morning and not realize till I wanted to set up my first photo that my trusty tripod was not in my hand! (Talk about absent-minded!) I hiked the couple of miles back to my car, and there it was, sitting patiently by the passenger's side, rolling its eyes... Checking for the tripod is high on my list now.

As for dropping the meter. I damaged an old Soligor spot meter once by dropping it off a cliff above the Green River (Quality Light Metrics fixed it right up though!) Since then, my spot meter goes on a lanyard that is long enough to get it to my eye, but short enough that the meter will not hit the ground if I drop it even when bent over. This has saved my Pentaxes a time or two and is my Tip #1.

@Vaughn: Your tripod use parallels mine; it doubles as machete too sometimes. I've wrapped the legs of mine in closed-cell pipe insulation, which really comes in handy as a cushion on sharp rocks every now and then while scrambling. I've taken to carrying a collapsible ski-pole/walking stick strapped to my pack as well. Sometimes I've got the tripod in one hand and the ski pole in the other for balance and extra push. The ski pole basket is wide and sturdy enough that I can lower my pack to the bottom of a drop (5-6 ft. max.) and then climb down without the weight.

Climbing down is always more difficult for me than climbing up, which brings me to Tip #2. Keep this latter in mind and don't get yourself into a position climbing up a wall or steep slope where you can't continue upward, but are in too precarious a position to get back down too. I've been in a tricky situation or two and once was very, very thankful that my hiking partner was close and could guide me in positioning my feet (which I could not see) for the downward climb. I would have never found the footholds any other way. I'm more cautious now.

Best,

Doremus

[Bruce Barlow]

Is this advice recursive? My inner grasshopper is feeling dizzy.

Make both. Film is cheap, the opportunity is dear.

[Jerry Bodine]

I've always carried my Gossen in a pouch on my belt that has a velcro closure on the flap. Never laid it down anywhere. The pouch serves as a holster; and that reminds me of the kid who said to his dad, "You wanna see my quick-draw?" Dad says, "Sure", and waits for the demonstration ... and waits ... and waits ... then says, "Well?" The kid says, "You wanna see it again?"