The Rules



Rules are important, at the very least they are guidelines that you should think about when heading out to take awesome shots......

"A smart man learns from his own mistakes.....a WISE man learns from the mistakes of OTHERS..."


so LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES !!!!


Rule #1
Never risk life/limb/injury for "the perfect shot".
I learned this the hard way when I wanted to have my photo taken on top of a boulder in Moab-Utah. Unfortuantely the boulder was rather large and high and the only way to get to it was to jump from another boulder which was at a lower elevation (and separated by a 1m wide and about 3m drop). I had a good run-up, good speed, but somehow in mid jump/flight, i somehow hesitated and in that instant did not lift my right leg high enough to catch the boulder. My shin bone cought the brunt of my frontal momentum and my upwards jump-motion took most of my skin of the shin-bone and rock interaction. Whats worse was if i had Not made the shot and fallen down the 3m drop in between the boulders with potentially several broken bones....silly move on my part.

Rule #2
Don't use inferior equipment / methodology that may jeopardize your hard work.
I don't mean to advise you to buy the best, newest and most expensive equipment, not at all. My context is this.....on several occasions in Moab-Utah, the Grand Canyon and Yosimte, I did not have the right interface between my tripod any GoPro so i used BluTack!! fail!!!.....I was taking timelapse shots and every time time you try this it takes 2-3 hours each, not to mention the fact that I often had to hike for quite a bit before reaching my "spot". So after i took the time to find the right spot, hiked there, set up my equipment and shot for 2-3 hours, i found that in that 2-3 hours the sun/heat had softened the BluTac and the camera had moved, pointing the shot in the wrong direction and ruining the entire sequence!! Having said that, on one occasion I MacGuyvered/rigged my solar panel's battery back to my GoPro and secured it with chewing-gum and came out with one of my best shots ever. I lost more shots though with using Blutack+sun or unstable tripods....even minute movement or shifts or bumps is enough to totally ruin a three hour timelapse shot.

Rule #3
Plan ahead
Scout a location before you actually want to shoot it. Calculate how long it would take you to hike / drive / ride there (and back), bearing in mind that the return journey may have to be undertaken in complete darkness. By knowing how long it takes to get to your "spot" you are able to calculate what time you need to wake up to arrive at your spot well before your target "time window" (e.g. you know the sun rises between 7:05 and 7:10am so get there at 6 to be able to prepare and set up your gear). Inevitably something will go wrong (e.g. forgot camera/tripod adapter), you will need some buffer time to MacGyver/rigg/adapt something together to make it work.

Rule #4
Bring enough clothing / food
If you're going to be hiking out to your spot and taking a 2-3 hour timelapse shots then it is important that you bring some food and warm gear. Inevitably after hiking you will feel warm but after sitting down for 2-3 hours while your timelapse is being shot, your core temperature will drop, especially if you're taking it at sunset when the environmental temperature drops naturally. Of course if you've just hiked 3 hours and then taken a 2-3 hour timelapse shot you'll probably need a bit of a feed...so dont forget to pack some food/drink because finishing a timelapse shot is only half the journey...you still need to hike home!!!

Rule #4
Move slowly and deliberately
Chances are, if you're like me, the "best spot" that you would have found to take your shot or timelapse shot would inevitably be somewhere rather precarious like a cliff edge, high ledge,  mountain-top, river side or canyon ridge. In other words somewhere where if you were to fall, you'd probably die, and if your camera were to fall, you'd probably never get it back (not even in a million pieces). Also once you've set up your camera/equipment and if you're taking a timelapse shot chances are that you'd have to wait for 2-3 hours....in that time you may get bored and want to move around....in doing so you may accidentally "bump" your tripod. You may THINK that that slight little bump didn't make any difference but you'll find that even a 1mm shift in your camera angle will change/ruin a timelapse. So MOVE SLOWLY/DELIBERATELY and CAREFULLY, dont muck around near your camera or near the endge of any dangerous area....just set up your equpment (make sure its stable and wont move with the wind) and settle back a few meters away from your camera, that way if you do choose to play around there wont be a chance that you bump/move your camera.

Rule #5
Be aware of your surroundings
Don't set up your camera/tripod near or on an ANTS' NEST!!!! Trust me....if you dont, you'll be there carefully setting up your camera and meticulously adjusting the angle of your shot when you feel a strong/deep burning sensation on your feet/legs, you'll look down and find an army of ants biting you!! That was quite funny, but there are other situations that pose(d) real dangers such as hiking into bear country. Places like Yellowstone and Yosemite and other wide open areas definately have potentially dangerous animals like black/brown/Grizzly bears. And may other areas e.g. in Australia have poisonous snakes or spiders. A bear can outrun a human and if you've hiked for 2-3 hours alone to get to your spot and you've been bitten by a deadly snake or spider, chances are you wont be able to hike back out (and you'd probably die). Being in the natural environment exposes you to factors you may not always be accustomed to. So respect your surroundings, talk to locals, be aware and watch where you put your hands and feet.

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