Should have been ready

[Bill Burk]

Out walking with my boy today and right at the end of the hike a bobcat walked towards us and paused for about 4 seconds.

At that point I was carrying a rangefinder 4x5 on my back. Several times during the hike I thought of taking it out and having it at the ready.

If I had listened to my inner voice, I would have had a chance to at least have a speck of a cat, and since it's 127mm it would have been as good on film as if I had carried a 35mm with similar telephoto attached.

But I missed the shot because the camera was on my back.

What should I swear to do better next time?

[madmax12]

I was on the boat fishing in Arizone left the camera in the truck focus on fishing DUUUUUHHHHHH. A falcon had caught a blue wing teal and was enjoying it for breakfast I watched it at 30 yds for 30 minutes . Never leave you camera except at the ready

[Ivan J. Eberle]

I've made a career out of photographing predators like bobcats. Even if you'd been at the ready with a 400mm telephoto, 4 seconds is awfully brief, and bobcats tend to look rather dinky in the frame until they're within about 25-30 feet. Chance encounters while hiking are pretty hit or miss and the cat usually looks freaked out in the image.

More hopeful news for you might be that they can be called quite close to the camera with artificial rabbit cries and mouse squeaks. I've had them linger at 8-12 feet for five minutes to a half an hour on several occasions.

[Ash]

carry a small format around your neck. I keep my camera in my bag and often have the same problem

[Leigh]

I carry little 12Mp p&s (blasphemy :eek: ) in my pocket at all times.

The image quality isn't up to my 8x10, but any shot is better than no shot. ;)

- Leigh

[John Jarosz]

Enjoy the moment. You don't always have to take a photograph.

[ataim]

Enjoy the moment. You don't always have to take a photograph.

You sound like my wife;) But yes sometimes I don't smell the rose that I'm taking a picture of. I also carry a P&S most of the time.

[jwaddison]

I had a jaguar cross the road in front of my vehicle on a logging road in Guyana. I had my Nikon in my lap, with a 70-300 lens on it, and all I could do was sit there with my mouth open. The first big cat I've ever seen, and it was gorgeous. But, I doubt I could have duplicated the picture I have in my mind's eye.

[Frank Petronio]

Had a crow and hawk fight in the field across the street for 15-20 minutes, would have been enough time to go get a proper camera. It was super cool because the fellow crows were in the trees cawing for their buddy, just like ancient Rome.

PS root for the Crow, the Hawks steal their eggs. Crows are the smartest....

[Stephane]

Yesterday, walking down a deserted street of Oslo, I saw superman (with the cape) and spiderman on a tandem bicycle...

Missed that one...

[Brian Ellis]

Carry a digital camera in your pocket whenever you leave the house. Or a cell phone. Picture quality from cell phones is surprisingly good (take a look at Dan Burkholder's work with his cell phone in a recent issue of Photo Techniques magazine if you have access to it) and you may as well be ahead of the game, they're rapidly replacing point and shoots.

[Heroique]

Enjoy the moment. You don’t always have to take a photograph.

John’s point deserves a thread – If not enough “bobcat” moments happen to you, or you regret them when they do, it probably means your GG is monopolizing your point of view.

[Brian Ellis]

John’s point deserves a thread – If not enough “bobcat” moments happen to you, or you regret them when they do, it probably means your GG is monopolizing your point of view.

"Better to have a good memory than a bad photograph." John Sexton

[Preston]

A few years ago I was hiking up big Pine Creek toward Temple Crag. I had my 35mm Canon in the pack. Just below First Lake I had the 'I'm being watched' feeeling. I then looked to my right, and there, not fifty feet away was big coyote watching me intently from the top of a granite boulder.

I stopped and watched him. I knew if I went to open my pack, he'd bolt, so I simply stood there, feeling the breeze, smelling the sage and pine and watching this magnificent animal. After perhaps ten minutes, he sauntered off, into the trees.

It was a good day!

--P

[tgtaylor]

I missed two outstanding captures while I was out looking for photos.

The first occurred in the late 1990's - probably around 1997 or 1998. Back then my camera was a 35mm Pentax K1000 (I moved up to MF in August, 2000 and LF in November of 2002). While out exploring in the Sierra Nevada I slipped on loose gravel while crossing the meadow on top of Seldon Pass and cracked a rib on my right side on one of the boulders that the park service used to mark a foot path thru the meadow. The rib knotted-up and I became concerned and decided to cut my trip short and bail-out over Piute Pass.

From the junction of the JMT/PCT and Piute trails it was a 17 mile hike to the top of Piute Pass which looked straight forward on my USGS map - traveling straight up a valley alongside Piute Creek - and I thought that with an early start I could make it to the top of the pass before dark.

I got an early start in the morning and felt strong and confident. But instead of traveling straight up the canyon along side Piute Creek as on the map the trail soon started climbing to the north and well away from water.

Towards sun down I was still about 2 miles from the top of the pass, which I could see, and had only about 16ozs of water left. There was no way now that I was going to enjoy a nice supper that night - just a power bar with the remaining water. I spied a small level spot along this steep route that looked like it would hold my tent. It did and I set-up camp and with the remaining daylight left decided to walk-up the trail a little ways to see if I could find any water. The outlet from Lower Desolation Lake was supposed to cross the trail and I hadn't crossed any water since morning.

As luck would have it not 200 yards from where I set-up I hit the outlet - running cold and sweet. As I was filling my water bottles apen glow struck the metamorphic rock of Mount Humphrey which glowed in the deepest color that to this day I have never seen equaled. My camera was in the tent and as this was a fleeting event with no time time run back for the camera, I just sat there and marveled at the sight.

I had a great meal that night with plenty of cold water and spent an enjoyable evening gazing out over the jagged peaks of the Glacial Divide to my immediate south and my campsite was visited briefly by a coyote or wolf - I just caught a fleeting glance at him from my stove fire checking me out.

The next morning I ran into a trail repair crew who told my that about 20 years before a "one-legged man" blasted out the new trail with dynamite.


*****

The second missed opportunity occurred in the late winter or early fall in Yosemite Valley probably around 2002. It was early on a Sunday morning and I was out walking west down Northside Drive with my Pentax 67II camera looking for photos. I had just taken a photo looking south down a creek lined with snow covered trees near the Yosemite Falls parking lot and had my camera and tripod back in the pack when I suddenly spied in full view a full-grown, well-fed mountain lion - not a bob cat - intently stalking something in the creek bed to my right (north). There would be no time to drop my pack and mount the camera on the tripod which would have certainly scared the lion away so I very softly followed him as far as I could up the bed. I'm sure he knew I was there but he (or she) never looked at me and just very slowly moved up the bed with his attention fully focused on whatever he was stalking.

Thomas

[Drew Wiley]

Coyotes are fairly easy to get to stay put. Just before they run off they tend to turn
around and take a second look. Just growl or bark at them and act like another coyote. Sometimes they'll keep up the conversation, sometimes not. I've actually sat down in the middle of small packs and howled with them. Bobcats are a
different story. They generally just slink off into the grass. When they don't, it means, "go ahead, make my day!" - those guys have attitude!

[Drew Wiley]

Sorry Tom, no wolves in the Sierras since the 1920's, though there might have been
a transient pack which passed thru in the early 60's which several people reported,
and I took some print castings. But the alpenglow on the backside of Mt Humpreys can truly be impressive and make one glad color film was packed in.

[tgtaylor]

At the time of the sighting I knew that wolves were not supposed to be in California but this animal had a pronounced wolf's face and the wolf had been recently re-introduced into the US. But I just caught a very brief glance at his face in the flickering fire so that's why I said he was either a wolf or a coyote. Probably a coyote.

Thomas

[Heroique]

...Probably a coyote.

Here’s a wily fellow who saw my back turned, and sneaked-up to pull a small rodent out of a burrow. I heard the grass rustling, and just for fun, twirled my Tachi around for a snap – right after I watched him gulp-down his poor, squirming victim. He looked left, he looked right – then trotted back into those pines, never too concerned about me.

Tachi 4x5
Fuji A 240mm/9
Old Fuji Pro 160s
Epson 4990/Epson Scan

[Bill Burk]

Heroique,
Now that's what I should have been ready for!

[sun of sand]

I slipped on loose gravel while crossing the meadow and cracked a rib

don't buy a motorcycle

[Ed Kelsey]

Maybe carry a gun ?

[Bill Burk]

The Joel-Peter Witkin look isn't what I'm going for.

[rdenney]

"Better to have a good memory than a bad photograph." John Sexton

Though I agree with the sentiment, he might as well have said that it's better not to be old.

Even bad photographs provide an opportunity to relive pleasant moments in our lives.

Rick "what that me?" Denney

[Peter De Smidt]

A few years ago we visited London. In Trafalgar Square, my wife was going to climb up on one of the lions for a traditional tourist photo. While she was trying to get into position, a 20ish year old German lady put both hand on Janice's posterior and gave her a push up. Despite my being ready with a camera, I missed it. Doh!

[dperez]

Had a crow and hawk fight in the field across the street for 15-20 minutes, would have been enough time to go get a proper camera. It was super cool because the fellow crows were in the trees cawing for their buddy, just like ancient Rome.

PS root for the Crow, the Hawks steal their eggs. Crows are the smartest....

Crows steal the eggs of other birds as well.

[mandoman7]

You never see dead crows on the street. They always get out of the way in time. That might be an interesting series...crows on the roadside shot with a remote trigger.

[Scott Walker]

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg90/Beecool/Owl-1.jpg

Me & this little critter have a long history of missed photo opportunities. He lives on my farm and when he was learning to fly he hit the ground beside my house and was to scared to try flying again. About 10 hours later the sun was getting pretty low in the sky and even with mom & dad in nearby trees bitching him out all day he hadn't even moved so I called the fish cops to see what his chances were if he stayed on the ground overnight and it didn't sound good so with the recommendation from the fish cop I talked to I tried convincing him to climb on a stick so I could put him in a tree so the coyotes & cougars would not kill him. Needless to say that is not an easy thing to do and the stupid bird refused to climb onto a stick but he was rather fond of my foot so I let him clamp onto it and hopped over to a tree and got him up about 6 feet off the ground where he stayed for a couple of days. Not a single photo but I did manage to video the whole thing. (If you ever happen across a bird on the ground like this do not do what I did without protective gear as the parents of most birds of prey will try to kill you)

That was 5 years ago and he still lives in my yard. Every time there is a good sunset or cloud formation over the barns he seems to be perched in the perfect spot until I get my camera. He hates magpies and I have witnessed him killing at least a half dozen in mid air, no camera handy of course. He does however pay me back for saving his life every once in a while by eating one of my barn cats:rolleyes:

[rguinter]

Yesterday, walking down a deserted street of Oslo, I saw superman (with the cape) and spiderman on a tandem bicycle...

Missed that one...

I saw a crotch-rocket go by me on the highway once at afterburner speed.

His babe on the back had a bubble-butt bigger than the bike... looked like a flying super-butt.

Missed that one too..

But hey... who would want to see it more than once anyway?...

Bob G.

[rguinter]

"Better to have a good memory than a bad photograph." John Sexton

I agree.

One can't be ready (except by sheer luck) for many of those memorable moments.

Like the time I was standing in the fog, on the East Branch Penobscot up-river from my uncle's cabin, when the resident Eagle came through the sunrise fog, flipped his wings up, stopped in mid air, and did a 180 degree turn... all about 10-feet in front of my face.

Absolutely no way to be ready for one of those unless by absolute dumb luck or with thousands of hours waiting with automated equipment.

Bob G.

[Ivan J. Eberle]

Might also mention my backpacks all have sturdy D-rings on the shoulder straps. I leave stubby Tamrac Q/R straps snapped into these. With this arrangement I can in reasonable comfort carry a DSLR or a Pentax 645 at the ready all day long while hiking in and out with the 4x5 gear stowed in the pack. (Can also suspend the 200-400VR from this too, but usually not while carrying 4x5 gear as well!)
This regime worked really well for mountain goats and bighorns seen closely along the trails in Glacier NP all summer last year.