Gup

To specify, I lost it all when my motorhome caught fire enroute to Canada's east coast. We were 6 hours from home beginning a 5 week drive when the motor caught fire. It was fully engulfed within minutes and nothing was salvaged. I stood with my wife and dog and watched - in shorts and T-shirts - as all our vacation clothing and equipment went up before our eyes. We weren't even wearing shoes. It was life-changing. All our ID, electronics, cash, camping equipment. It took us decades to acquire much of it, some impossible to replace, as anyone ever experiencing a fire already knows. And yes, I agree, nobody was hurt and the dog was saved, so no real harm, but I've yet to even replace one camera body. I bought a used LG Q6 phone shortly afterward for $100 and that's basically it. The photo results are dismal at best. It has been very difficult to live without taking pictures, especially in the first few weeks/months afterward but now somewhat liberating. I had already basically retired from paid work, having turned down the last 5 or 6 wedding requests and the phone has stopped ringing altogether, now. The insurance paid off generously but I can't seem to justify replacing my pro gear now that I don't really need it to generate a paycheck and anything less will likely disappoint me in the long run. A quandary! I think I may post a request for some opinions in the days coming regarding the different options now available.

Just thought I'd check in - it's been about 17 months since I lost all my Nikon gear in a fire - and I see nothing has really changed. P.net still here but shrouded in a cloak of uncertainty, as always since 'the change'.

Hello Michael. Here's one from last year, or so. (I'll see if I can remember how to upload...)

:( 'What bummer, as we used to say!' Thanks, John.

Yes, all is backed up. It would have been a different story if we'd been on our way back, though. I'll add another shot here of the remains of the carbon fibre legs from my Gitzo. I kept it stored behind the driver's seat so it was easy to see in the wreckage. Of everything that was totally incinerated those legs remained. Even the Arca Swiss ball head was vapourized completely. The fire and heat were intense. Flames peaked at 30' and were at least 20' for 15 minutes. The tires went off like bombs, the gas tank went with a roar and the propane bottle underneath blew an emergency valve and shot out horizontally from underneath about 15' sideways before turning upwards. Each different event drew a huge gasp from the crowd. All the campers on the loop were there by that point because the truck was blocking the only way into the one-way loop and they were all terrified of losing their own equipment and most had children already sitting around campfires on their sites and here in Ontario we had been under extreme fire bans all summer long due to the third dry summer in a row, up until two days before this event. On Georgian Bay where I live the fire ban was still in effect, since May, due to a wildfire 45 minutes north of my house that had been burning out of control for 6 weeks despite the efforts of 800 firefighters. It was the first time in 30 years here that a fire had ever threatened us or even been closer than 3 or 4 hours away. The times they are a-changing.

Thanks guys. I guess the D800E will be upgraded to at least a D810 maybe a D850 in time. We've been instructed to compile a list of lost items, which we did almost immediately, but also to include a value for each. That's the hard part. There are about 300 items and we've got dozens of hours already invested in front of the computer trying to find values. It's both exhausting and demoralizing so we've been going at it a bit at a time.

If anyone wonders where I might have gone, presumptuous of me maybe, here's an explanation. On July 31st the Queen and I set off for Canada's east coast in our Dodge campervan for a month of leisure (actually to shoot fishing villages) but only got 6 hours from home. We pulled into a Provincial Park around 8:00pm just south of Ottawa, registered for a site, and 5 minutes later as we approached the site our rig burst into flames. Flames shot out from beneath the hood, up the passenger side window and windshield. It was very intense very quickly. I jumped out, helped my wife down and then called for the dog. The flames were about 10' or 12' high already at that point. He was curled up in the back at the time. He, Elwood, is a standard poodle and very well trained not to set a foot on any furniture, including in the camper. He refused to exit through the driver's door as he'd never done that before and was also sensing the urgency in my voice which was gaining in volume and pitch. He refused to jump up on the seat. He could also hear my wife screaming 'FIRE' frantically. I ended up jumping back in, with my chest on the seat, grasping him by the shoulders and dragging up and over the chair to pull him out. We quickly got behind the truck and distanced ourselves from the rig as it became fully engulfed, hissing and crackling. This was all happening deep in a pine forest in an area that had been under a fire-ban for 3 months. It was terrifying, to say the least. The fire crews got there 25 minutes later but all was lost by then. By all I mean everything one takes for a month on the road which in my case, being brought up a Boy Scout, was everything I could possibly need for any occasion that I might encounter. About $70,000 worth of contents including 90% of my photography equipment, 'ALL' my cameras, all my lenses, laptop, USB drives, ipods, cell phones, wallet, purse, cash and all our travel clothing. We were wearing shorts and t-shirts and my wife wasn't even wearing any shoes. We just stood there in disbelief. Fortunately, other campers came to our aid with water, fruit, dog food, a leash, a cell phone, etc. I couldn't even rent a car the next day without any ID or driver's license. This situation obviously pales in comparison to what thousands of others are experiencing today in California and my heart is with them at this time. I travelled the west coast from Canada down to LA in the fall of 2016 as some of you may remember from my postings here and absolutely fell in love with Northern California. A few months later several of the bridges were washed out in the rains and land slides and I felt so lucky to have seen it when I did. So, for the first time since I was 7 years old, I don't even have one camera. I've literally had to learn to live without taking pictures. I reach for one at least once a day! The insurance claim is still not complete so I haven't replaced anything but one cell phone at this point. It has been daunting and humbling. My heart sincerely goes out to all here that are being or have been affected personally by the current fire situation on the US west coast. Hug each other tightly and remember, it's just stuff.

I spent a half hour, or so, sitting on my front porch watching dragon flies feed on mosquitoes that were attempting to feed on me before getting up and going for my camera. This is about the best I got before being called for supper. I used a D800E and AF-S 85mm shooting overhead. The black dot is a mosquito.

I was surprised by this guy one morning shortly after I built this house. Spring of 1991. Like a proud papa, I left his dirty paw prints on the glass for months.

Thumb of man... The other one was helping support a D800E coupled to a Sigma 35mm ART lens.

A doe and her twins coming to prune my sumacs, as shot through a snowstorm filter.

I haven't had to log in on my last few visits either. I'm also using Chrome. This makes for a more streamlined experience and will be the difference to whether I stay or not. I also give a thumbs down to the 'like' feature which I feel just cheapens the whole experience and reduces the uniqueness of what P.net once was. Why is it so important to mimic the rest of the web? I would prefer P.net had the courage to march to its own drum... I sometimes end up in turmoil not wanting to discourage someone and end up hitting 'like' whether I consider the shot worthy or not. This is dishonest, to a degree, but easier than criticizing the shot openly when no criticism was requested. I also tend to 'like' a shot based on the effort that went in to the post-production. If an effort has been made to sharpen, crop, adjust, etc. that will enter into my decision. If the poster couldn't even bother to straighten a horizon, adjust an incorrect exposure or the focus point is off, then I will ignore it. This is based on what I myself do before uploading an image.

This is the end of a fjord 2,600' below Newfoundland's Gros Morne.

It's a constant chore keeping feeders filled with these hooligans running about.

Hello all. It's a bit blustery here this morning.

After an almost daily presence here for over 15 years I decided to take a few months off, but after reading these last four pages it feels like I never left. At first read I thought a new thread to accommodate those who have been complaining about the strict guidelines for MIN should be a fresh and welcome addition to this forum. I understand getting out into the field is not always possible for some and not even a welcome choice for others so the new suggested thread would accommodate that segment of the membership here and also those who balk at 'rules' in general to display their otherwise interesting nature shots. Why some of you have to make that a difficult concept, I don't know. I strive for my nature shots to fall within the acceptable MIN guidelines as part of the enjoyment I experience taking the actual shot. Sometimes I have to crop out an element or frame for it not to be visible. Other times the bird feeder can't be ignored! Or the window frame I shot through. Or the fence post the owl chose to rest upon. For these I would now have a weekly thread to post in. Fabulous! It's still the Nature forum so the initial guidelines must still exist. But, now you can post your best shots from the zoo and Marineland. What is so difficult to understand about that? My vote would be for one image per member per week, the same as MIN, because I'm most interested in seeing someone's best effort, and words to be completely optional because I enjoy learning as much as I can regarding the photographer's technique, equipment used, and any other information they are willing to share about the image. Would, 'Interacting With Nature' be a sufficient title?

Hi everyone. I've had a busy winter, so far. Hope you are all well. I'm always excited to see which of my 4 legged friends has survived the annual blood-lust. Now all they have to worry about is making it through the winter, untrained dogs chasing them onto the ice, and hungry wolves. It's comforting to know they feel safe here and spring fawns are just around the corner. This one was taken with a D800E and an AF-S 105mm.

I took a series of these sitting on my front porch one evening this summer with a D800E and an AF-S 85mm f/1.8 lens. The shutter was at 1/2000, ISO 640, f/5. It was early twilight, the mosquitoes were starving and a battalion of these guys showed up to protect us. They fed for about 1/2 an hour and then disappeared leaving us mosquito-free. Dragonfly and prey.

Hi Mary, without any expertise on the matter, I wonder if it's just a ruffled coat due to the animal's molting cycle? There's also some rough fur on his side. He's probably just lost his spotted fawn coat.

I took this shot of a painted turtle with my D800E and an AF-S 105 VR.

A tranquil scene in the north Atlantic seaport of Bonavista, Nfld. A few months earlier and it would have been spotted with icebergs and maybe a whale or two. For this one I used my D800E with a 28-70mm zoom.

My first reaction was dessert! We Canadians have just celebrated Thanksgiving this weekend with many of us having today off as 'Thanksgiving Monday'. I initially thought Leslie's image involved something delicious involving cranberries, as turkey dinner isn't complete without them!

Here is a stand of mushrooms surviving in a field of lichen found high up in L'Anse aux Meadows, adjacent to the first known Nordic settlement in North America. The Nords sailed to North America over 1000 years ago, beating Columbus by about 500 years, and established a colony there. Today their longhouses and out buildings have been recreated on the site of the original foundations. I used a D800E and an AF-50mm 1.4 lens.

I use my Nikon polarizing filter all the time. It still serves the same purpose on my DSLR as it did on my SLRs and I paid $240 for it 15 years ago. I was delighted at the price! My Hasselblad filters were almost twice that. Rather than buy them for all my lenses, though, I instead bought adapters which work well except then the original light shades no longer fit. I wear a large brimmed hat that doubles as a light shade when needed.

I was on Canada's extreme east coast, Newfoundland, and was shooting the city of St. John's when someone nearby casually said, 'isn't today supposed to be the eclipse?'. I don't recall the light even changing there, although it may have at some point. At any rate, it was a total non-event for me this year. I did manage to watch one many years ago, though, through a reflector telescope I bought as a young teenager. It came equipped with a cone-shaped eye piece that screwed on and looked very much like an inverted Gemini space capsule. The large diameter end had a white screen and when aimed and focused the sun's image was projected onto it from beneath. It was designed to view the sun and its flares, regardless of eclipses. That telescope always drew a huge crowd to our driveway and I have never stopped gazing skyward on clear nights, often spending hours on my back on our deck in the wee hours.