So many ways of viewing or interpreting the same subject.
A few days ago I was walking though a nearby fishing harbour looking for something new to shoot and testing my new camera.
I’d just completed a few shots of the coastal sand dune reclamation project from my drone which made great graphic images - all horizontals, verticals and diagonals - although not very colourful.
So now was a chance to get some colour. My 5-day old new Nikon. I had been watching tutorials for 4 days, learning the functions and operating options and opportunities.
Wooden hulled, gaily painted deep-sea fishing boats moored two or three deep off the wharf.
I’ve spent many hours at various harbours shooting this sort of scene so I was really trying for something a bit different.
It was a very low tide. I saw an option …
Three boats moored alongside. all with their sterns (transoms) facing me.
Each hull a different colour, bridge doors facing me, one open, two closed.
Green crayfish nets with bright yellow rope bindings piled one upon the other
ready for action.
I was standing on the edge of an embankment looking down on the boats, the water was so low that there was a patch of mud exposed at the water’s edge. If I went down onto the mud, I would be able to get a shot looking up at the boats - usually one looks down from the dock onto the deck - this could be quite effective and I was using my (also new) wide angle lens which would simply lend itself to a variety of opportunities.
The mud bank was about 2 metres below me, to get there I had to climb down a few boulders which had dried in the warm morning sunshine.
My camera was hanging from it’s strap around my neck and was supported in my left hand. I had on my camera backpack containing other lenses and bits of assorted equipment probably weighing about 10kg.
So here’s the thing:
I stepped onto the first boulder as I began my descent.
I was on my way. I looked at the second boulder and saw a piece of seaweed. Don’t go there! But my thought process was slower than my legs, I had already started the step down and was too far gone to change the motion. Gravity in effect.
I hit the seaweed and my legs flipped over my head. I landed somewhere half way down the rocks, camera still in my hand which was now between the rock and my body, bounced and rolled again!
I came around a few seconds (I assume) later, sprawled between a couple of boulders protruding from the mud.
I lay there, trying to work out what had happened. I looked up at the wharf, there was the silhouette of a man looking down at me, “You OK?”
I couldn’t focus, grunted a response, “Oh, OK”, he replied and moved off.
In my mind I had said “I need a help”.
I was lying on my backpack, camera still clutched in my left hand. Simply couldn’t move.
10 minutes had passed when I sat up and crawled to a nearby rock, dragged myself onto it and simply sat while I regained some strength and direction.
Looking up I saw a fisherman sitting on a bollard watching me. No comment but I got the feeling he was waiting to see if I was alright.
Twenty minutes later I stood up. First thing I did was get rid of the backpack and test the camera - lens was jammed and camera body wasn’t working. Shit!
Now the pain was setting in, adrenalin rush was dissipating.
Dragged myself slowly the 200 metres back to my car, sat for another 10 minutes and drove slowly home.
Doctors, X-rays, injections, pain killers.
Torn ligaments in my left hand, damaged to shoulder muscles, nothing can be done, so went home to rest.
Still a bit shaky. An early night was called for. 9pm, I was in bed, almost asleep. I woke at 1a.m. and decided a visit to the loo was required. Jumped out of bed - the pain! I’d forgotten …
I fainted, clean out. Hit the bedroom carpet and heard a crunch as my nose broke. I came around and stood up I’d cracked a rib too.
Also changed the pattern on the bedroom carpet from plain grey to plain grey with lots of blood spots.
Waiting for the damage assessment on the camera and lens …
I never got the shot! So there's no photo with this blog.
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