My Worst Shooting Experience To Date & Yet One More Thing To ALWAYS Have In My Kit!

[Trail Images]

Out here in the California desert I certainly have heard of mosquitoes but have never actually seen one. Are they larger than sparrows?

They're not as large as the ones I've been attacked by in Alaska when I was there for 2 years, but I was attacked last year at Joshua Tree NP while shooting 4x5. They were biting through the darn dark-cloth into my scalp. I've never even seen one out there until this happened in the 20+ years of photographing there. I'm not sure what was attracting them at all.
Now bats are another thing. I've been pinned down out there by them a few times.

 

[winger]

I didn't get serious about my photography until the last 10 years, so I had a few years of responding to crime scenes first to get used to the idea of adding things to my kit because I didn't have them. My first scene as a trainee was the discovery of a missing person in a pond. In late May in New England. DEET was added to the kit permanently. Another scene was out in a field in August - added sunscreen after that one. A couple of indoor scenes that had been there a few days before discovery showed how nice it could be to have incense in the kit. And trail mix, spare sunglasses, compass, spare jacket, hat, etc… were all added at various times. By the time I passed the kit to someone else when I left, there might have been almost as many non-scientific items as there were evidence collection tools. I remembered all this when putting together things in my camera bags.
And the mosquito is the State Bird of Alaska. There's also a reason the Army base in northern NYS is called Fort Black Fly (technically Fort Drum, but even those who've never been there call it Ft BF).

 

[Sal Santamaura]

As someone who lives in coastal southern California (no mosquitoes) but is planning a move to New Hampshire, I'm eagerly awaiting the outcome of field trials by these folks:

http://www.kitepatch.com/​

 

[Terry Christian]

Not a personal experience, but as a side note to the mosquito and Elvis related posts above:
The city of Memphis where I live, the city of Graceland, actually lost its charter from 1878-1893 because the population was so decimated by mosquito-borne yellow fever.

 

[cliveh]

The first time I visited the North West coast of Scotland I encountered the Scottish midge. Unlike the midges we have in England these bite and are like miniature mosquitoes. If you manage to kill a few of them, 10000 of their mates come to the funeral intent on revenge. After a few days I learned what weather conditions they don’t like and managed to generally avoid them, but I would hate to live in that region with those about.

 

[n2mf]

The first time I visited the North West coast of Scotland I encountered the Scottish midge. Unlike the midges we have in England these bite and are like miniature mosquitoes. If you manage to kill a few of them, 10000 of their mates come to the funeral intent on revenge. After a few days I learned what weather conditions they don’t like and managed to generally avoid them, but I would hate to live in that region with those about.

YIKES!

 

[Vonder]

They say the desert can kill you in X ways, but I didn't really give it much thought on my first trip to Phoenix. I had a rental car and not much free time, so I ended up driving around until I could find a nice spot to shoot some of the desert. Didn't find an ideal spot but found a spot. Jumped out of my car... wow, it's hot out here. August in Phoenix is not for the faint of heart. So anyway I bounded off into the desert, shooting cacti and stuff, when I became aware that the ground plants I'd been casually brushing up against were leaving sharp spikes all around my ankles. So, I decided to jump OVER them. That went okay, but as I returned to my car I saw this vehicle slow and stop nearby... seems a guy had been watching me. I was apparently on some semi-private land (open for debate is the idea that anyone would want to own such land!) but he wasn't really there to kick me off. Only to warn me that the rattlesnakes were really thick in this area right now and they seek whatever shade they can... even near those ground plants I'd been leaping over. Sore bloody ankles were the worst I suffered, but it could have been much worse if there'd been a rattler under one I jumped over.

 

[Trail Images]

Only to warn me that the rattlesnakes were really thick in this area right now and they seek whatever shade they can... even near those ground plants I'd been leaping over.

Oh yes, the Mojave Greens are throughout our desert areas in So Cal and Arizona. They're quite venomous too, more so then our run of the mill diamond backs found most anywhere in all the southwestern states.

 

[Black Dog]

''They're all around us man!''

In Alaska they are larger than ravens, and the black flies are the size of buzzards.

I lived in the west of Scotland, and they were the size of vultures, but not as friendly!

 

[Brian C. Miller]

That's when it happened. Stabbing pains in my neck, my arms, my face, my ears and forehead. It was relentless! It was getting harder and harder to frame my subject and focus the camera. I tried to hang in there but it was becoming unbearable...I had to escape! ... And I now vow to never EVER be without Mosquito repellent!

Bees. I had bent over viewing the scene through the camera, and a bee had landed on me. When I stood up, I crushed the bee down on my side. Ouch! I found out that toothpaste rubbed on the sting site doesn't nullify the poison, but it does spread it out into a very mild rash. Now I carry a sting and bite kit.

But for mosquitos, you can use grapefruit seed extract. It's a dietary supplement, but one of the things it does is that it makes you unpalatable to mosquitos. You have to take it for about two weeks for it to have an effect, but after that bugs won't eat you. I had heard about it on a radio outdoor program, and I tried it for myself. Yes, it definitely works! Mosquitos won't bite at all.

 

[Vaughn]

Ah, the sandflies of New Zealand. I remember clouds of them circling outside my tent somewheres on Stewart Island...and a tramper with bad infections on his arms and legs from scratching. I was okay on my bicycle, but had rain gear ready to put on as protection when I stopped. One usually has the pleasure of killing the one's that bite, but it was always too late -- one is going to itch!

High winds while on large sand dunes, a waterfall that shifted in the wind and came straight down on me (Bridalvail Fall in February), the flies in Australia, traveling with a 4x5 with a massive light leak for 3 months...so many things. But all worth it, and the great experiences outweigh the terrible ones.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Midges in Scotland! Intelligent buggers. They knew to go for my angles while I was under the dark cloth.

 

[jerrybro]

Bees. I had bent over viewing the scene through the camera, and a bee had landed on me. When I stood up, I crushed the bee down on my side. Ouch! I found out that toothpaste rubbed on the sting site doesn't nullify the poison, but it does spread it out into a very mild rash. Now I carry a sting and bite kit.

But for mosquitos, you can use grapefruit seed extract. It's a dietary supplement, but one of the things it does is that it makes you unpalatable to mosquitos. You have to take it for about two weeks for it to have an effect, but after that bugs won't eat you. I had heard about it on a radio outdoor program, and I tried it for myself. Yes, it definitely works! Mosquitos won't bite at all.

I wonder. There was a period a few years ago when bugs weren't bothering me at all, In fact I only sprayed when I thought ticks would be a problem. About that same time I was eating a lot of grapefruit.

 

[winger]

But for mosquitos, you can use grapefruit seed extract. It's a dietary supplement, but one of the things it does is that it makes you unpalatable to mosquitos. You have to take it for about two weeks for it to have an effect, but after that bugs won't eat you. I had heard about it on a radio outdoor program, and I tried it for myself. Yes, it definitely works! Mosquitos won't bite at all.

Grapefruit seed extract is a commonly used treatment for thrush and systemic yeast infections. It's supposedly better as an antimicrobial and antifungal than many of the lab-produced drugs. I wonder what exactly the mosquitos are going for when they bite and whether people with higher microbes are more of a target?
No, I'm not willing to be a test subject - unless I get the best repellent.

 

[Jaf-Photo]

Must have been when I dropped my favourite, universal, tack-sharp 35mm prime lens into the hard ground.

I still haven't recovered, not sure that I ever will.

 

[ChuckP]

The mosquitoes used to be just a nusiance but now they've added West Nile Virus. That has increased my use of Deet. And helps with ticks too. It really puts a damper on picture talking fun to come out from under the darkcloth to find a tick crawling up your pants leg.

 

[paul_c5x4]

[DEET] helps with ticks too. It really puts a damper on picture talking fun to come out from under the darkcloth to find a tick crawling up your pants leg.

Ticks travel well - Came back from a trip in the backwaters of Michigan, and a week later found one of the little buggers hiding in my beard.

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

Mosquitos are nothing compared to Bridezillas during wedding shoots. They have preconceived notions of a Martha Stewart wedding. That's why I don't do them anymore. I'm not going into details of my last wedding shoot. Don't want to relive the trauma. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. In this case, Bridezilla.

 

[StoneNYC]

Mosquitos are nothing compared to Bridezillas during wedding shoots. They have preconceived notions of a Martha Stewart wedding. That's why I don't do them anymore. I'm not going into details of my last wedding shoot. Don't want to relive the trauma. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. In this case, Bridezilla.

Or clients that don't want to pay the last $300 of their wedding shoot so they have never seen their wedding photos...

 

[Snapshot]

Weddings?!........................ Arrrrgghhhh! *performs eye gouging on self*

Or clients that don't want to pay the last $300 of their wedding shoot so they have never seen their wedding photos...

I made the mistake of agreeing to take pictures at a friend's wedding. They had another aquaintance as the "official" photographer, doing the more formal and important pictures. I was just doing the more candid shots. Now, before you jump all over me for daring to take pictures on the back of another photographer, I raise the following points as my defense:

• I was asked by them to do the candid pictures for them and their family during this auspicious event.
• The other photographer was informed that I would be doing the aforementioned activities and she said it would be OK. At least that's what I was told.
• My friends were paying her a flat rate for all pictures and they would only receive digital files from her. Nothing more!

It was about 7 years ago so digital was pretty much the thing at the time but I still insisted on shooting B&W film. The photographer shows up before the ceremony will a Nikon D50 and a mid 90's Tamron 18-200 lens. Nothing else! Not a flash (other than the built in one), not a tripod or anything other than a tiny camera bag. I attempt to converse with her to introduce myself and indicate that I would staying out of her way. I get a "yah sure" look and nothing more. Crap! I made a mistake in agreeing doing this for my friends but I'm now committed.

Anyway, rather go into gory details, let's just say she didn't may my life easy taking pictures. I'm sure her irritation was exacerbated as people were contiuously mistaking me for the photographer with my gear (a F100 with vertical grip, SB-28 flashgun and a couple of fast lenses). Finally, the night ended and somehow managed to shoot a few rolls and live. I vowed to the Creator never to do something like this again.

A couple of week's later, I show up to their home with a framed 11"x14" B &W photograph of them togther looking beautiful and they're very delighted. Apparently, they weren't very satisfied with their chosen photographer (shocker!) and ask me if I can bring some other pictures. I spend a few days putting a book together and give it to them. The photographer got $650 for her trouble. I got dinner.

C'est la vie!

 

[StoneNYC]

I made the mistake of agreeing to take pictures at a friend's wedding. They had another aquaintance as the "official" photographer, doing the more formal and important pictures. I was just doing the more candid shots. Now, before you jump all over me for daring to take pictures on the back of another photographer, I raise the following points as my defense:

• I was asked by them to do the candid pictures for them and their family during this auspicious event.
• The other photographer was informed that I would be doing the aforementioned activities and she said it would be OK. At least that's what I was told.
• My friends were paying her a flat rate for all pictures and they would only receive digital files from her. Nothing more!

It was about 7 years ago so digital was pretty much the thing at the time but I still insisted on shooting B&W film. The photographer shows up before the ceremony will a Nikon D50 and a mid 90's Tamron 18-200 lens. Nothing else! Not a flash (other than the built in one), not a tripod or anything other than a tiny camera bag. I attempt to converse with her to introduce myself and indicate that I would staying out of her way. I get a "yah sure" look and nothing more. Crap! I made a mistake in agreeing doing this for my friends but I'm now committed.

Anyway, rather go into gory details, let's just say she didn't may my life easy taking pictures. I'm sure her irritation was exacerbated as people were contiuously mistaking me for the photographer with my gear (a F100 with vertical grip, SB-28 flashgun and a couple of fast lenses). Finally, the night ended and somehow managed to shoot a few rolls and live. I vowed to the Creator never to do something like this again.

A couple of week's later, I show up to their home with a framed 11"x14" B &W photograph of them togther looking beautiful and they're very delighted. Apparently, they weren't very satisfied with their chosen photographer (shocker!) and ask me if I can bring some other pictures. I spend a few days putting a book together and give it to them. The photographer got $650 for her trouble. I got dinner.

C'est la vie!

Something essentially exactly like that happened to me once...a long time ago. Only in addition to them enjoying my photos better than the hired person, they also asked that I not post them on my website for promotion because they were their special private moments they wanted to keep to the family....and I didn't even get dinner, and they bought the prints through walmart and not through me. Arg!!

 

[Alan Gales]

I have only shot two weddings and both for free as wedding gifts to family. One I was the main photographer and one I was an extra to shoot candid shots.

At one reception I was shooting the guests and one lady had a fit and pretty much told me to go to hell and that I wasn't getting her picture. Just for spite, I eventually took it with a long lens when she wasn't looking. It wasn't the most flattering photo I've ever made.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I too had a similar experience to Stone and Snapshot, at my cousin's wedding. I was rather cash poor so I thought I'd shoot some b/w photos and make a nice little album for them. The "pro" they hired shot the whole thing, including the formals of the families (not too bad on my cousin's side, just her, sis, mom & dad, but there were 15-ish on the groom's side) with a 28mm, 35mm and 50mm primes on a Canon AE-1. With the family shots, with those lenses, on 35mm film, on 8x10 prints you couldn't tell who was who in the groom's family shot. Long story short, I get a note saying "THANK YOU for the wonderful pics - your album SAVED our wedding!" and a promise to order prints. It's been 15+ years since the wedding and I haven't gotten an order yet. I suspect they took the prints to Wal-Mart and had them copied. On the upside, they would have gotten their just desserts - I printed all the proofs in matte.

That was far from my worst experience shooting, though. That was just annoying. Worst experience? Dropping my 6.5 x 8.5 Seneca "Black Beauty" over a waterfall. The accessory it convinced me I need? a friend with chest waders, because that's how I got the camera back. I was out with a camera club when the tragedy struck, and one of the other club members was wearing chest waders to get in the water below the falls. He waded in and snagged the camera and tripod (which were floating!).

 

[Maris]

Ants! A few weeks ago I was setting up the 8x10 in the Snowy Mountains of Australia only to discover that several photogenic hectares were populated by millions of aggressive ants. The ants were frantically accumulating stores to tide them over for months under snow and they were defending their patch implacably. The only way to work was to spray the bottom section of the tripod legs with insect repellant, and my boots, and a picnic rug. The rug had its edge sprayed top and bottom so it would act as an ant-free island where I could put down my camera bag. Days later I was still finding an ant or two in my gear!

 

[Truzi]

I'd posted my worse mistake in this (there was a url link here which no longer exists). I wasn't taking the photos, but I was part of the mistake.