Martys Loc: Lubec, Maine

Last Thursday while photographing at Quoddy Head State Park,...

Had been there for almost two hours photographing 10-14 foot seas crashing into Gulliver's Hole a scenic point there. It was windy off and on but not as bad as I'm accustomed to seeing,....sooooooo I thought.

I had worked my way out onto an isolated precarious location with a fantastic viewpoint,...I've worked it many times previously,....the narrow ledge wasn't even 3 foot wide and about 45 feet above the rocks out into the ocean. Had been shooting elsewhere as well for several hours and just about to relocate once again. I had just removed my 32GB compact flash card that was now full with my mornings work.

Then,...............I had a rude awakening I'll not soon forget,.... when I turned for a second to grab something out of my camera bag,....I heard the tripod crash to the ground,...as I turned and I saw the 500mm lens with my D300 attached,... snap off the tripod mount and drop virtically down out of sight.
The sound of camera and lens make as it smashed its way down against the rocks is a sound I hope to never ever hear again.

I was in total disbelief,...in just a split second,...everything gone.

Had the 500mm base casting not sheared off,...the tripod would have gone too.
At that point though I was totally and completely demoralized and sick to my stomach. All I could do was sit there and talk to myself over and over,...(lots of adjectives)

So,....ladies and gentleman and fellow hedgehogs,......PLEASE learn from my sudden poor judgement and costly $$$$ mistake.

Watch carefully your equipment,...no matter how secure you think it is sitting there exposed to the forces of nature and gravity.

I never, never thought in all my years of being a photographer that I would be thr recipient of something like this. I have always erred on the side of being toooooo careful and always observant of potential dangers,.......

But not on March 7th, 2013,....I paid dearly in a split second,...thinking all was secure with my equipment.
Too late to get the moment back,....the horse was already out of the barn.

Anyway,....I wanted to share that with each who reads this,...be careful,...IN ADVANCE,....of something unexpected happening.

Yes I had it insured,...or I should say under insured,....had recently decreased the insured value,...why,...because something this catastrophic wouldn't happen to me,....yeah right.

Will be having some D300 accessories for sale soon as I look for a new replacement camera.

Thanks for reading this and I hope it awakens in you,...that false sense of security I thought I had.


Ive posted an image of where it happened,...as a visual so you can see the crime scene and the drop off,
The outcrop from the tree on the right side of the image attached,...thats where I was standing.

The second image was taken from that ledge just prior to the deep six plunge.
Was the image worth the cost,......not unless I get paid big $$$ bucks for the image,...totally unlikely.

It helps to laugh,..........now,...not then.

Be well ,....and that includes your camera gear.

Marty

The ledge where the tree on the right is


One of the last D300 images before the plunge

Dadyassa Loc: Spain

Ouchhhhh :-(

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

Ouch, ouch, and more ouch! I sympathize.

What replacement camera are you now considering?

sarge69 Loc: Ft Myers, FL

Well, s**t happens and when it does, it hurts.

Your photos with that camera were always fantastic and your composition a delight to see.

I'm sure that whatever camera you get to replace the demon possessed one that jumped off that ledge will again show your professionalism in photography at the ocean.

Be more careful next time.

Sarge69

barbaradear Loc: ny, usa

going through a similar thing - not as expensive as yours though, I know how you feel....I'm sorry.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

I tremble at the thought....So sorry...Did you have insurance? Even if it wasn't insured separately, check with your homeowners policy as well...

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

Great thing photographic insurance

Martys Loc: Lubec, Maine

[quote=sarge69]Well, s**t happens and when it does, it hurts.
*****************************************
Thank you Sarge,...

Haven't quite had that same lightness in my walk since it happened.

My wife was relieved it wasn't me that fell,...she says I'm priceless.

I'm priceless alright.

Someone once said,...cheer up things could be worse,.....
I cheered up,...sure enuf,...things got worse.

;-)) ;-))

Your little avitar says it all Sarge

Lickin my wounds

Marty

Martys Loc: Lubec, Maine

******************************************

Having sobered up a bit now,..............

I'm looking at the D7100,..to be released within a week,.......or the D800,....am undecided.

For some of the work I do I'd love the D800's superb file resolution and night time capabilities.
Would be equivalent to 2-1/4 to 4x5 tonal quality in exchange for ubber 75MB file sizes before post processing.
Would force me to be more selective in my compositions and slow down a bit.

I even am intertaining shooting film on my SWC Hassy and sending it out for digital file processing???

First I Have to check stock prices at,...Seagate, Western Digital, Hitachi, Samsung, and a few others before I upset the balance of world trade on available storage space.

Undecided but getting ansie about getting back out there shooting.

Marty

Kentee Loc: Southern California

As a matter of interest, will the insurer pay for the loss at whatever value you recently placed upon the equipment?

silveragemarvel Loc: Keller, Texas

Marty,
Excellent write up of your ordeal. I can feel the pain in my stomach as I read it. I majored in marine biology in the late '60s and took my Nikon F everywhere, even out to the crashing waves at the edge of the intertidal zone. I still have my trusty F. Hope your insurance comes thru for you. Thank you.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

What 500mm lens was it? Nikon 500mm F4, Sigma 500mm F4.5? Something else? Curious as to why the tripod collar mount severed.

Martys Loc: Lubec, Maine

When the tripod crashed the ground, the cantilevered combination weight of the Nikkor 500mm f4 telephoto and D300,... sheared off the Nikkor 500mm lens collar,...snapped it right in half, due to the downward forces on the tripod quick release fastener,...which held firm.

Those L shaped tripod mounts are metal castings,...not solid metal,..and as such will shear with excessive angular force (90 degree force with the tripod flat on its side) and the camera and lens hitting downward hanging over the rock edge.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Makes sense now. From the original post it sounded like the mount just broke all by itself, didn't realize the whole setup fell over.
I just sold my Nikon 500mm F4 P yesterday, looking for an AFS 600mm F4 VR II myself right now.
Good luck, and I highly recommend the D800E.

Martys Loc: Lubec, Maine

I'm not hearing good things about the D800E concerning its Moiré pattern adaptation,..... I see some unresolved resulting issues for different owners.

Am still on the fence and researching with owners to better understand before I commit.

Wonder if I could attach an anchor or sky hook?