For as many years as I have fished, I have carried a camera when I fish.
At first, and being more than 30 years ago now, it was one of those entry level film cameras that was so rickety in its construction, that it threatened to let light in at any moment.
It took awful pictures. Or perhaps more correctly, I took awful pictures, but it worked. I still have those awful pictures, and they are great, if you know what I mean.
From then it was various models, which I have not remembered, until I was a student and bought a second hand Canon AE1 SLR. I grew with that camera, learning my exposures and composures on rivers and dams across the country. I was never without it.
Then came digital, and the fact that my old canon had become bogged down in awful lens mildew, and was beyond another professional cleaning. I started with an Olympus, which I still have. When that started to display the symptoms of some crossed wires I bought a better camera. Not an SLR, due more to budget constraints than anything else, but a truly wonderful camera nonetheless.
And in all these years I never dropped a camera “in the drink”. That was until my son recently saw a photo of me showing off a river fish, with my camera around my neck, and dangling just a few inches from the water. He commented. Several times. Commented on me being crazy, on the risks, on how close it was to the water.
Then this week it happened. We were crossing a small stream. My wife was carrying the camera. She passed it to me. I gripped it firmly and drew it towards me. The strap caught on something, and it fell. Straight into a foot of water.
I was miserable.
But I am over it now. My wife and I are in the market for a new one, and we will choose carefully. Will we choose a waterproof camera, and forego some of the functionality we like? Or will I go for a bulky waterproof housing? I don’t know. But I figure that in thirty plus years it only happened once, so maybe I will just tolerate my son’s remarks and just do it all again.
Maybe we will insure the new one though.
6 Responses
I seldom leave comments, however after looking
at through a bunch of comments on Camera on the water
« Trutta. I actually do have a couple of questions for you if you
do not mind. Is it just me or do some of the responses come across as if
they are left by brain dead people? 😛 And, if you are writing
on other social sites, I’d like to follow everything new you have to post. Would you list of every one of all your social community pages like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?
Well facade: sometimes my friends and family seem that way, but we will forgive them 🙂
I only write on this forum.
Thanks for taking the time.
No matter what you get, I still don’t recommend dangling it that close to water and a flapping fish 🙂
I’m steady on my feet son!
Time for a Go Pro!
I dont think a go-pro is quite what I am after. I still like my quality stills.But they do look like fun!