The solitary nature of landscape photography leaves your mind plenty of time to wander. I’ve had many a good idea whilst walking the Cumbrian fells – but this wasn’t one of them.
On a recent visit the forecast was for thunder storms, great I thought, a chance to get some really dramatic shots. It wasn’t until I was 1,600 feet up, on the summit of an exposed fell that I saw the downside to my plan. With rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning approaching fast, I had to think quickly … what would Bear Grylls do? First rule of survival, keep dry and warm. OK, so it wasn’t cold, and I did have waterproofs, but hey, there’s no point getting wet if you don’t have to.
It was at this point I had a brainwave, a moment of pure genius … amid the approaching danger I invented the ‘Photographer’s Tepee™’ (patent pending). I’d simply wrap the groundsheet I carry in my bag around my tripod and safely, nay snuggly, sit out the storm. It wasn’t until the next flash of lightning came that the words ‘Darwin Awards’ popped into my head. I can see the headline now, ‘Photographer dies under homemade lightning rod’! I spent the next hour reflecting on my stupidity whilst huddled under said groundsheet in the driving rain – at a safe distance from my tripod!
I only managed the above shot before the rain came, not as dramatic as I would have liked, but sometimes I guess you should be careful what you wish for.
