Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => The Coffee Corner => Topic started by: Chris Calohan on January 15, 2013, 11:53:08 am

Title: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: Chris Calohan on January 15, 2013, 11:53:08 am
Yesterday, I was out practicing with my 70-200 2.8 with 1.7 converter...trying to get used to the weight, depth of field, etc. I went to a place where I knew there would be lots of ducks, egrets, herons, etc. It is a simple "park" pond encompassing about 4 acres. Surrounding the pond are several floating platforms with attached, hinged walkways. I was quite engaged is shooting several overly enamored ducks having a go at anything with feathers, and several others doing some rather vigorous bathing rituals...and I shot for about ten minutes.

When I turned to leave, something caught my eye on the exit walk that turned out to be three water moccasins of various sizes, the largest about 2 1/2 feet and probably as thick as my monopod. It was either a trip into the water - and that wasn't happening, or ..whaooo, a cell phone to call the police who in turn called the animal shelter who coincidently were housed in the park area. They sent over a snake wrangler who managed to trap the biggest guy but lost the other two. They take them to Ocala to be milked for anti-venom.

A. Always have your cell phone with you.
B. Take a gander around you when shooting. Those guys could have just as easily slithered over to where I was standing as look at me and moccasins are very aggressive and territorial.
C. Take an extra pair of drawers with you if you get caught like I did...I didn't but I was close...I've seen what a moccasin can do to human flesh and it isn't at all pretty.

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8194/8381333691_781c5b25e1_o.jpg)
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: Dave (Isle of Skye) on January 15, 2013, 04:51:59 pm
The most dangerous thing we have to look out for in the UK is stinging nettles  ;D

Dave
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: Rob C on January 15, 2013, 06:13:08 pm
The most dangerous thing we have to look out for in the UK is stinging nettles  ;D

Dave


You forget the common Scottish viper: the adder. Keep away from ferns, rotting branches on the ground. Or have your new neighbours decided not to warn you?

Subtle, them islanders!

;-)

Rob C
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: Chris Calohan on January 15, 2013, 06:46:57 pm
Just around my house we have the Rattlesnake (Eastern Diamondback) which can grow to 8-10+ feet and as big around as your arm, the Pigmy Rattler, maybe a foot long and as round as your big toe but has the same potentcy of the 10 foot cousin; the Coral snake..red and black, friend to Jack, red and yellow kill a fellow identification markings, about the same size as the pigmy but they have to gnaw on you for a few to inject the venom - quite deadly; the Copperhead - ooh, blends in so nicely with fall leaves that you're more likely to step on him before you know he's there; and the Water Moccasin which can get up to five feet plus and is very deadly because it is territorial and aggressive. I've seen them chase people all the way up to their car.

I push a little wheeled stick in front of me when I'm in the deep woods just to let the slithery beasties know I'm there and give them ample room to slip away.

Oh-oh and we are just starting to get the pythons and boa constrictors up our way...lovely.
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: degrub on January 15, 2013, 11:09:54 pm
LOL. That reminds of the time a cottonmouth dropped in our john boat from  a tree branch. i thought my buddy was going to walk on water trying to get away. :D
Frank
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: Fips on January 16, 2013, 03:59:02 am
Quote
The most dangerous thing we have to look out for in the UK is stinging nettles  ;D

I was thinking exactly the same. Reminds me of a summer during my studies when we had some Aussie exchange students. We were playing frisbee and at some point that thing flew off into some bushes. Half of the Australians were too afraid to step into the bushes, the other half knew that there are no poisonous critters in Germany but they had never heard of stinging-nettles. Poor chaps were scratching their legs for the next two days  ;D 
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: 32BT on January 16, 2013, 06:16:49 am
… but they had never heard of stinging-nettles. Poor chaps were scratching their legs for the next two days  ;D 

Vinigar FTW...
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: Chris Calohan on January 16, 2013, 09:26:34 am
We had those in CA but I've never heard of them here. I've had my fair share of the nettle boogies.
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: Riaan van Wyk on January 16, 2013, 03:05:35 pm
Chris, you forgot to mention the most dangerous thing of all- people.
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: stamper on January 17, 2013, 04:25:49 am
The most dangerous thing we have to look out for in the UK is stinging nettles  ;D

Dave

What about the midges?
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: Dave (Isle of Skye) on January 17, 2013, 05:53:43 am
What about the midges?

Yes you are right, at the height of the summer on a warm and windless day, it can become a bit like midgiegeddon around here, especially at the tourist hotspots, they know where we like to stand and gawp at the scenery it seems. Easy trick I have found though, is shoot near the coast (and being on an island that is never far away), as they cannot fly in anything more than a slight on-shore breeze, or simply keep moving, as again they cannot catch you if you are moving. Although I have found even in the height of summer on a still day, I can still do plenty of photography, I can get out of the car, set up a shot, fire off a few quick frames and then jump back into the car before they realise I am there and start to gang up on me.


You forget the common Scottish viper: the adder. Keep away from ferns, rotting branches on the ground. Or have your new neighbours decided not to warn you?

Subtle, them islanders!

;-)

Rob C

Yes we do indeed get adders and they are quite common I am told, but I have never yet seen one, although we have seen a few slow worms - thanks for reminding me  :)
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: RSL on January 17, 2013, 01:32:33 pm
We need to see if we can get St. Paddy to visit Florida for a while.
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: Rob C on January 17, 2013, 02:47:53 pm
We need to see if we can get St. Paddy to visit Florida for a while.



I don't think he'd risk Scotland today: one half would try to kiss him and the other to kill him. Were I a saint, I certainly wouldn't want to risk it! Let 'em keep their pesky adder! Can't speak for Florida at large, but there used to be notices at the edges of some hotel grounds advising to keep away from piles of debris of any sort. He might find that interesting, but it was all I needed, as you can imagine.

Rob C
Title: Re: venomous snakes
Post by: NancyP on January 18, 2013, 02:18:18 pm
Our rattlers are all sleeping in their limestone bluff "cavelets". Harmless unless you stick your hand into the hole or crevice to the nest, and even then, it has to be a warm-ish day. They will start waking up and migrating to the river in April.
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: Rob C on January 18, 2013, 05:37:04 pm
This evening, I watched part of a film about the largest prehistoric snake; was based on the python type, made 48ft long, and eat enormous versions of the then current gigantic croc. They say.

They also said that a shipment of Burmese pythons escaped in Florida during a storm some years ago, and there are now thousands of them in the Everglades, pythons, not storms, though I guess there are plenty of those, too. It certainly gave raining lessons in Hollywood.

It's funny: when I was around eight, we moved to India for some years, and I used to run around the rocks and wasteland behind our house, armed with a catapult. (I was quite good with it.) Never saw a snake though cobras were around: there would be skins up on our upper terraces, brought along by passing birds, I hope. There were really large black scorpions, often on the insides of the window ledges, and I'd estimate them to be about six or seven inches long or so; they didn't bug me either. But then, after we returned to Britain, I discovered that I had a new dread of such things. Thank goodness I didn't suffer from it when younger. It totally destroyed any pleasure I might otherwise have had, many years later, from shooting in Africa. A nightmare.

People.

Rob C
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: Chris Calohan on January 18, 2013, 11:52:38 pm
I forgot to mention we also have scorpions, brown recluses, black widows, alligators, sting rays, sharks and the occasional barracuda. I only think Australia and Africa have more naughty critters than us.
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: tom b on January 19, 2013, 12:21:57 am
Spotted this guy a couple of weeks ago just before I nearly stepped on it.

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ayee20ZjfkE/UPoEfvtsmSI/AAAAAAAABKQ/Q8yPVCeAuo4/s1600/snake.jpg)

It's a red bellied black snake, highly poisonous but they are not aggressive and they don't inject much venom.

Cheers,
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: Tony Jay on January 19, 2013, 04:40:41 am
Spotted this guy a couple of weeks ago just before I nearly stepped on it.

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ayee20ZjfkE/UPoEfvtsmSI/AAAAAAAABKQ/Q8yPVCeAuo4/s1600/snake.jpg)

It's a red bellied black snake, highly poisonous but they are not aggressive and they don't inject much venom.

Those guys still have fatalities recorded against them though.
I have portraits of red-bellied blacks - shot with a 70-200 f2.8 though!

Tony Jay
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: jule on January 24, 2013, 02:26:38 am
Exquisite snakes Tony. I've seen half a dozen in the past 3 days since the overcast weather... frogs about and they LOVE them!

Julie
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: jjj on January 24, 2013, 08:24:49 pm
The most dangerous thing we have to look out for in the UK is stinging nettles  ;D

Dave
I took a Canadian out mountain biking here in UK and whilst at home he had bears and other critters to worry about, he was a bit taken aback by our vicious vegetation. On that ride alone IIRC, I counted about 20 types of unfriendly vegetation after he expressed surprise when I mention beware of stingies. Brambles, stingies, hawthorn, gorse, giant hogweed, thistles..... I forget the rest off hand as I'm a bit rubbish with plant names. But until then I hadn't really twigged just how many kinds of skin damaging plants there, you simply avoided them as a matter of course.
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: athegn on January 26, 2013, 03:43:38 am
"...The most dangerous thing we have to look out for in the UK is stinging nettles..."

Yes and they can make your eyes water.

I once rounded a bend on a grassy track when my bicycle slipped from under me and I careered into a stinging nettle patch. Unfortunately I was wearing shorts.

Those nettles find their way, way up higher than you would think!!
Title: Re: A little story about the importance of awareness when shooting.
Post by: langier on January 26, 2013, 02:35:11 pm
Situational awareness is very important while out and about shooting so that you can work and return safely to your studio and share your moments.

It's not too cool to be so engrossed in the wonderful light on the edge of a cliff and then step a little bit too close or finding a neat detail, only to have serpent bite you.

However, of all the hazards out there, the worse tend to be the two-legged rats and snakes one tends to encounter when he is decked out with expensive photo trinkets!

Simply pay attention to your surroundings and if it feels sketchy...