Stay Safe Out there

Looking north from my balcony, La Paloma Resort, Tucson AZ

I’m just back from the NANPA (North American Nature Photography) Summit in Tucson. These are  transcendent meetings, and I always come home inspired and with ideas and hope.

I especially enjoyed a panel discussion about woman photographers featuring Brenda Tharp, Sarah Marino, Brie Stockwell, and Amy Gulick. The topics were varied and fascinating, as you would imagine.  I was especially sparked by the topic of women camping alone.

Agave on the grounds, La Paloma Resort, Tucson AZ

I’ve given this issue lots of thought and so I found myself nodding vigorously as these accomplished women addressed the question.  Amy even used my favorite expression for that little voice ignored at our peril, the “spidey sense.”  I’ve only changed plans once in that situation but stand ready to do it again as needed.  I was parked in my truck camper and a couple of guys drove up in a pickup asking whether I was camping there that night. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck.  I find it’s not what is said but how it is said. I answered, “I’m not sure,” and thought “nope.”  I found another place, of course.

Camping and photographing by myself has its risks but for me, and apparently for these four, the reward justifies all that.  I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Resident Great Horned Owl, La Paloma Resort, Tucson AZ

Interestingly, people who start the safety conversation with me are almost always women.  Men seem to understand it more naturally.  The women who express concern generally ask about dangerous animals first.  I tell them that I’m not too concerned about animals.  As long as they’re not rabid and I’m sensible, they keep their distance.  The only unpleasant animal encounter I can remember is feral burros which woke me at 2:00 AM vigorously head-butting my camper.  I don't appreciate their charms.

The real risk, at least theoretically, is from humans. People who want to make trouble, though, are vanishingly unlikely to be seeking it in the nether regions where I camp.

Gila Woodpecker, La Paloma Resort, Tucson AZ

There are strategies to reduce risk, of course.  I travel with a big, alert dog. She’s a Malinois so she’s essentially a cop. Her barking alone would likely make a bad guy choose someone else to harass.  There are other good safety precautions like letting someone know where you are and when, carrying a communication device like In-Reach to use when there’s no phone signal, and satellite internet in camp.

I have a few more subtle and creative strategies as well.  I carry a pair of size 14 men’s boots (a gift from a patient years ago) which I’ll sometimes leave outside.  I also feel safer setting up two folding chairs in camp rather than one.

Another resident, La Paloma Resort, Tucson AZ

Another common discussion is about firearms.  The decision to carry a gun is a complex one.  I’ll just say that target practice is not sufficient preparation for a situation when you might point a weapon at an intruder.  We need to be willing to do “shoot – don’t shoot” training to minimize the risk of hurting an innocent, including ourselves.

Life requires finesse, and it would be dull indeed without calculated risks.

I hope to see you out there, safely.

Lazy

Desert View Watchtower (Grand Canyon) at sunset last week

A confession.

What you miss if you don't go out in the weather.  Grand Canyon

I’m in a constant battle with discipline.  Jerry Dodrill, a mentor and one of the least lazy people I know, says if you don’t want to be out there (because the weather is unpleasant for example)  it’s probably time to be out there.  I paraphrased, but that’s the gist.  The first time I heard this from him, I looked for exceptions in my head.  I didn’t want this to be true.  I’ve since admitted that he’s correct.

Nature photography, like most things worth doing well, requires effort.

Mid-day at Grand Canyon last week. Zone-tailed hawk

As I was thinking this might be an interesting topic for a post, driving home from a couple of nights at the Grand Canyon, what should come on the radio but Todd Rundgren’s Bang the Drum All Day.  You know, “I don’t want to work…” Yeah. Perhaps he fought a similar battle.

Focus-stacked telephoto image, Death Valley

For example, at a Death Valley workshop last March with Jerry Dodrill and Todd Pickering, we spent lots of time out on the dunes, sometimes shooting at long focal lengths.  I’ll boil down the technicalities and say that it’s difficult and sometime impossible to get the entire image in focus with a telephoto lens.  Most of us were working on a technique to get around this called focus stacking.  I realized that, when working on my own, I can sometimes be lazy about this very thing and end up with soft focus on the horizon of my image.  Hope, as they say, is not a plan. A side point here is that it’s nearly impossible to be lazy in a workshop. Peer pressure and enthusiasm. That’s another advantage of getting out there with teachers and peers.

 

One of those mid-day details, Grand Canyon

Sometimes when I’m camping, I really want that midday nap.  The snooze is especially tough to resist in summer when sunrise comes very early.  I do love a camping nap.  That said, there can be some great opportunities to shoot details and macro images mid-day.  There’s a tough balance to strike, especially for people like me who don’t do well with sleep deprivation.

Gotta walk to find things.  Buffington Pockets, Nevada

Another example is the dirt road which, like most of them, deteriorates as I go. How much further am I willing to drive to explore the new spot?  If I make camp here, how far am I willing to walk in the dark to catch sunrise? How early will I set the alarm?

Maybe I’m too hard on myself, assuming that the relaxing times are somehow less valuable than the challenging ones.  Maybe I should just enjoy the peanut butter filled pretzels a read a book sometimes.

I find myself wondering how much effort is enough. I may never know.