Moonrise and Coyotes
This is one of those times in your life when you look back and think, “That was probably dumb”.
As a photographer, watching the weather and astronomical events is a must. In 2019 our family went on a camping trip with friends in Mammoth Lakes, Ca. While we were there I wanted to head to Mono Lake and photograph the Tufas with the Milky Way above and the moon rising like the sun in the distance. I figured out all my timing: Eat dinner, load my gear, drive to the Minaret Lookout and photograph the sunset then head to Mono Lake and walk down to the Tufas. No problem. Even if I’d never been to the Tufas, how hard could it be? State Parks are pretty well trailed. So I take off alone, probably dumb, go to the Monarets and the sunset was a bust. I made the drive to the Tufas and by the time I got down to the parking lot it was pitch black out. I grabbed my gear and headed down the closest trail I could find that took me to the water and the Tufas according to my GPS. Dodging bats and kangaroo rats trying to jump on me and bugs trying to eat me alive, I set up my camera and pointed it to where I hoped would make a great image. I spent about an hour and a half walking with my gear and my flashlight from place to place hoping everything was exposing well. One of the results is the image above, but my adventure wasn’t over yet.
As carefully as possible I packed up my gear and began the walk back up the hill to the parking lot. Being alone in the dark can really play tricks on your mind so I walked quickly. At some point, which I’ll say was half way back to my truck, the bushes around me started to rustle. I’d stop and flash my light in the direction of the noise and see things dart away. Then, the yelping began. All around me, out of nowhere coyotes started yelping and barking like crazy, as if I was their next meal. Only twice since then have I witnessed a “pack” of coyotes and boy can they get crazy. Since there was nothing else out there to compete with their sound, it was REALLY loud. They were darting in the bushes and getting closer. I came up with a plan. I threw my camera bag to the ground, unzipped it and pulled out my Canon 580EXII flash. I zipped up the bag, tossed it onto my back, stood up and when I did I grabbed a handful of gravel. This part is hard to describe, but basically I threw gravel in every direction I could while I flashed the strobe as fast as I could out toward the bushes. If you know me well, you know how loud I can whistle so I did that as well. I bent down and grabbed my flashlight and ran as fast as I could the rest of the way to my truck. Once to the truck I just chucked my equipment in the passenger seat, shut the door and waited while I caught my breath. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest. Yes, I made it back to camp and had a fun story to tell.
At this point I should thank the maker of the best camera backpack I’ve ever owned, ThinkTank. I’ve had the ThinkTank Street Walker Pro 2.0 for many years and it was such a worthwhile investment. I have gotten that bag in some crazy situations, dirty, muddy, thrown, dropped, kicked and it’s still in great shape today in 2023 as I’m writing this. For new photographers out there reading this, invest in a great camera bag, it will save your gear! I can’t say enough positive about this bag. The tripod attachment was so helpful in this story. I ran with my big, Slik 700 Pro DX tripod mounted to the back and it never budged. There is certain equipment that is so important up front, beyond the camera. A great tripod and a great bag will not let you down. I’m not sponsored by either one of these companies, though I wish I was, but I know that when my bag and my tripod finally break or wear out, I’m going right back to Slik and ThinkTank.
Details:
Canon 5D Mark IV
file type: RAW
Lens: 16-35mm L IS
ISO 2000
Shooting Mode: Manual
Shutter: 15 sec.
Aperture: f4.5
Before I left the Minarets I Gaf taped my focus ring to infinity, knowing I wouldn’t be able to get that set well in the pitch black. Before you go out and do any astro photography remember to set your infinity focus, switch the lens to manual focus and use some good tape to keep it in place. You’ll thank me later. Make sure to have a good, heavy tripod like the Slik 700 Pro DX, and know that you can hang your camera bag from the center post to add weight and security to your set up for long exposures.
