Photography hasn’t killed me yet…but there is still time!

Is it my fate to fall off a cliff one day? I’m just kidding but then again I’ve had some scrapes and pains that I blame squarely on my photography obsession. My poor tripod usually gets the brunt of the abuse.

Late last winter I dragged my cabin fever body out into the wild’s to attempt to find some icy waterfall images. You can see it coming, right? Yup, down I go, slipping sideways on ice glazed trail right on top of my tripod. This resulted in what was probably a cracked rib and some sore stomach muscles that took about a year to fully recover. My trusty Vanguard Alta Pro 263AT Aluminum Alloy Tripod Legs with Multi-Angle Central Column System had a nice trip to the service department at Vanguard. Thankfully the nice folks at Vanguard turned it around in about a week and said the repair was covered by the warranty.

Well, last week I did it again. Slipped on ice at the Madame Sherri Forest and once again my
Vanguard Alta Pro 263AT Aluminum Alloy Tripod Legs with Multi-Angle Central Column System saved my bacon. Rather than crashing to the ground, I was able to catch myself with the tripod so it took all of the impact. Unfortunately this resulted in a bent leg section. I performed a little surgery and removed the damaged leg section. A call to Vanguard service resulted in the order of a replacement section for $15 plus $5 shipping. I ordered it on Monday and I had it on Saturday. Thanks again Vanguard!

I really don’t think I take a lot of risks when photographing – except maybe backing up while looking through the view finder. Not a good idea Mr. Magoo! But there was a near death experience way back in my college days. I was home from school on winter break and I saw what I thought was a bird stuck in the ice. Me and my trusty Olympus OM-10 went out on the ice to investigate. Long story, short, the bird took off and I fell through the ice. Luckily there were some people working on the house who came and rescued me with a ladder but cause other wise I was a gonner. I broke a few finger nails trying to claw my way out of the ice but it kept breaking under my weight. Took me hours to feel warm again. I guess I should have learned my lesson that ice and I don’t have a good working relationship.