Foto Jo Loc: Smoky Mountains of North Carolina

I am a wildlife photographer and was in the Smoky Mtns. Nat’l Park on a photoshoot. Usually I am in the woods walking but while driving I came upon a bear that I could see was just inside the woods. I pulled over and when I got out I tripped over a very large tree root. My camera fell from my hand (I yet had time to put my strap over my head) My 2.8 70-200 lens snapped off the camera as they both hit the ground, along with me. As I am laying on the ground in pain a young man, probably 12 yrs old quickly ran up to me and offered to help me get up. The friend I was shooting with told the young man “don’t worry about her, get her camera and lens, trust me that’s what she wants!” Of course she was 100% correct in her assumption. I later saw the young man in a car with what turned out to be his father. I made sure I told him what happened and how proud he should be of his son. I also gave them a wildlife calendar I just had printed. To this day we get a chuckle when remembering this story. By the way, I was ok. But the camera and lens had to be sent to Nikon. Thankfully it wasn’t my long lens
Not really a strange story but we surely get a chuckle when we remember. ~ Forget the injured photographer, save the camera!

russelray Loc: La Mesa CA

Good point! I had not thought of that!

Randyfrieder Loc: Long Island, New York

Hi buddy, I live in lake Grove, are you still living here on Long Island?

Steven Loc: So. Milwaukee, WI.

I was on my hands and knees setting up a shot of a multicolored mushroom when all of a sudden I was nose to nose with a skunk! No further comments.

autofocus Loc: North Central Connecticut

which buddy are you talking about?

Carnpo Loc: North Carolina

I was walking up the path to the top of Mount Mitchell NC. Was carrying my Nikon F2 with Ilford Delta 100 film. Pass a guy who was carrying a Cannon AE-1 he was also using Ilford Delta 100. He was a young guy. Me not so much.

OldIkon Loc: Indiana, USA

This wasn't during a photo shoot, but on my way into Canada . . .

We were driving into Canada at Port Huron and stopped at the Canadian entry point after crossing the bridge. Among the things I had packed in the trunk was my 1950's vintage tripod with tubular legs, about an inch in diameter. The border agent asked the usual questions about what we were carrying into Canada - foods, plants, guns . . . I expected to be asked once about the guns, but she'd look into her booth and back at me and asked about 3 times whether we had any guns with us. I don't know how it could have been possible to "see" the tripod and suspect "guns", but I found the situation very odd. I don't remember being asked the same question multiple times during other crossings into Canada, but it makes me wonder.

dsy1944

Many years ago I was photographing a wedding at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. During the ceremony I noticed one of the groomsmen was missing and a gap where he should be standing. Suddenly, from stage left that missing groomsman came running across the stage wearing his tuxedo tie, shoes and sock garter--and nothing in between. That was in the 70's when steaking was popular.

Dennis833 Loc: Australia

Yes, an ex crown prosecutor backed up your comment yesterday.

k2edm Loc: FN32AD

well, this wasn't strange, just memorable.. In high school, at a track meet, not being very smart, I took my camera past the finish line to photo the finish coming at me. (I wanted faces for the year book) The track was cinders and after taking the shot, which turned out pretty well, I slipped and fell trying to get out of the way and got literally run over by 1/2 the runners.... But sometimes god smiles on us idiots, 'twas a girls track team... gee, that wuz 67 years ago......

frangeo Loc: Texas

I walked into the reception hall early. AC was off and the cake was melting. I shoot the cake 3 seconds before it toppled over.

acreutz

I had a similar event occurred when I was photographing birds in a lagoon in the early morning in Carlsbad, CA many years ago, and, in a house across the lagoon, a father became concerned I was photographing his daughter. Police arrived. Took quite a bit of explaining (showing them images on my camera that I had taken) before they accepted my story, but did tell me to move on.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I think the police exceeded their authority. Unless the man's daughter was inside through a window or otherwise was in a place where privacy was expected, I don't think photographing her would have been illegal. With shooting across a lagoon, presuming you were shooting something other than birds is a stretch. And since the police accepted your story, I don't see how they had a right to tell you to move on. I would have gotten badge numbers and filed a complaint against the officers. people should stand up for their rights, and you had a right to be there and shoot birds.

Hamltnblue Loc: Springfield PA

A couple of months ago, I did a milky way shoot on Brigantine NJ beach with another camera club member.
He set one of his Nikon 850’s behind us on a small dune to do a time lapse.
When we wrapped up a couple of hours later he collected the time lapse camera. It was covered in urine.
Apparently a fox or whatever was behind us at some point.

User ID

Got radarred doing about 80 in Senator Warren Anderson’s driveway, but when I showed the cop my hard hat and safety vest he let me go. Yes it was a shoot, of Anderson and some other suits.

We call I88 Warren Anderson’s driveway. It was mainly built so he could get from Binghamton to Albany a whole lot faster for those critically important votes.