Pride also heals with time. And mine took a beating that day.

@ proudgeek good catch with the 70-200...must have remembered what we were told early on..."Skin heals, cameras don't"

renardrichie said:

Turns out i got tons of good pic. Everytime the whale breached i pretty much felt like i'm the happiest kid in the world. This is the online album http://renardrichie.viewbook.com/album/whalewatchboston2012

These are fantastic. Where did you go out of? The Cape?

I was once the victim of my own excitement. Last summer my wife and I were hiking in Colorado in the Maroon Creek Wilderness. We'd been out for about five hours, and it had been raining on and off and the trail had gotten pretty slick. My wife was pretty anxious to be done and I had been lingering in the woods shooting groves of aspen trees using my 17-35.
When I caught up to her in a clearing, there were a handful of people gathered and speaking in hushed tones. They were all pointing at a juvenile moose who was grazing in the Maroon Lake, about 500 yards down the trail. I cursed myself for having the wrong lens, switched to my 70-200 as quickly as possible, and started to make my way toward the moose. Then I noticed a trail that would serve as a pretty good shortcut. Less defined and much steeper, but I could get to the moose in less than a minute. Just as I started to take the detour, my wife hissed at me, "Slow down and be careful." Her warning came just a moment too late. Three hurried steps down the trail and my feet went completely out from under me. My wife later said I went horizontal in the air before landing squarely on my back. By some miracle, I had the instinct to cradle the camera in my stomach and it suffered no damage. Dazed by not deterred, I made my way down to the moose (slower this time) and managed to get a few good shots before a park ranger warned me off.

What? You know this guy? LOL.

Beso said:
This guy's histrionics far exceed any videographer skills he may have. It only makes me wonder how he is under other circumstances. ;)

Rhymes with thorny.

A steam train pulling in to Victoria.........yes that's a nice sight, the smoke filling the canopy above, or the sight and sounds of a Lancaster bomber or Spitfire flying overhead, but a diesel??? Don't get that one. I suppose it all comes down to your heritage, I'm enthusiastic about ours, that guy was about his. Each to his own.

Wataru said:
You people just don't get trains, do you... Trains are amazing. If that guy was faking it, it's only funny because it reflects the way train freaks actually feel.

Oh, don't get me wrong- I'm a lurking rail fan. I grew up watching Thomas the Tank Engine and I was always a big fan of the subway system in NYC. I like trains, but I can't spot the exact model engine. I'm better with subway cars though- I like the Redbirds and R46s.

I like most forms of transportation, but above all, I like cars more than trains. Probably the only form of transportation I don't like is the zamboni.

Photographing that fox up above made me feel like Moose Peterson for a good 5 minutes. I certainly didn't have the gear for it, but boy did I feel like I was somewhere in Alaska.

And the fact that the fox showed up at my dorm window certainly made things exciting for me.

bjrichus said:
.... real talent and ability as well as craft skills like Henri Cartier-Bresson or Ansel Adams....

My entire life (for the past 35 years, anyway) has been documented on Ansel Adams desk calendars...

Nah ... It's a video thing. :-)

Only video centric people seem to get that excited over a noisy, dirty, smelly, machine like a diesel powered train. Guess it comes from growing up with Hollywood producers as your heroes rather than someone with real talent and ability as well as craft skills like Henri Cartier-Bresson or Ansel Adams.

Now I will quietly go away and wait for the barrage coming my way from Hollywood, train and video people ;-)

No. I don't really mean it guys, but these two do seem to go way over the top...

You people just don't get trains, do you... Trains are amazing. If that guy was faking it, it's only funny because it reflects the way train freaks actually feel.

I think I was almost as excited when I saw a red fox right outside my dorm window, right when there was fresh snow outside, except I don't usually vocalize my thoughts.

Come on, it can't get any more eye catching- a red fox on a white background.

But because I had been excited about the first snow, I also already took photos of the snow through my window and as a result my I threw my compact camera onto my bed.

By the time I had noticed the fox, it had already left and I was still looking for my camera in the folds of my sheets.

Lesson learned- buy the biggest camera you can afford so that next time it's not hidden by your sheets.

The next time I saw a fox it wasn't as photogenic but it didn't mean I didn't try to get a photo op.

I noticed it from afar, but I didn't think it was a fox, I thought it was a big red cat.

And then I noticed the tail and I gave chase.

That was the only good photo I got that day, I didn't nearly have enough reach. Ideally I should have been in shutter priority too, but I shoot so often in aperture priority I don't usually touch the mode dial. Most of the things I shoot usually don't move.

But I got to say, foxes are some of the prettiest animals when they move. They don't really walk, they do a semi hop that's very cool looking. It's somewhat like a squirrel but they're no where near as annoying as the behavior of squirrels. Much smarter too.

Hahaha! That video is AWESOME! The fact that I know something about the trains and guys that are THAT into them makes it even better.

I think the video was supposed to be making fun of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhYXNwvcl6A

However, there are train guys who are that crazy. I have seen some of these people in real life since I have gone with my friend to take pictures of some old steam trains. My friend is a total train nerd, but he is more of the introverted kind who is afraid to tell people he is into trains for fear of the weird looks he will get. He frowns upon the people who actually act like the guy in the video in real life as they would tarnish the reputation of people like him who are trying to act normal and still be into trains.

I don't think anyone on here gets that into their normal photos... that's more of the reaction you would get if someone on here stumbled upon an unreleased Nikon body out in the wild.

Yes, I went on a whale watch couple of weeks ago and it was my first seeing this spectacular creatures in the wild.

I love my d800 i shot with 24-70mm (i know i should have shot it with longer lens but i was also testing the crop ability of d800).

Turns out i got tons of good pic. Everytime the whale breached i pretty much felt like i'm the happiest kid in the world. This is the online album http://renardrichie.viewbook.com/album/whalewatchboston2012

Lol here are a couple I was fairly excited about...maybe not that much.

Got off work and saw the moon up and the sunset was awesome...drove like a bat out of hell to find the field. Wish I had a better camera then my 3.2 MP kodak at the time. The sunset was a bit muted by the time I found a decent spot to take the pic.

Only one of a handful of owls I have ever seen...drove back and forth down the road stalking this one to get pictures :)

Again a wish for a better camera...elk was about 50 yards away and walking into thick brush. I ran off the road and made some noise. He turned around and looked straight at me...was trying to judge if I could get to my car fast enough if he decided he didn't care for me bugging him

This guy's histrionics far exceed any videographer skills he may have. It only makes me wonder how he is under other circumstances. ;)

Is that guy for real?

This is sooooo funny ! :)
But I do understand this guy's reaction.
I was as excited as him when I met and took a picture of my hero "Tex" Hill, a Flying Tigers Ace, in 1994. Although I kept my excitement a lot more subdued I must say. I shook hands with him as well, and I didn't wash my right hand for two weeks ! (Just kidding !).

@Framer: Did you marry her ??? :)

Miss August 1968

framer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lutNECOZFw

LOL......I probably would if I ever got to do a photo shoot with Halle Berry!

My most excited shot was shooting the start of our Tulsa Run with over 10,000 runners coming straight at me. I've shot it the last 3 years and it still puts chills up my back as they come straight at me.

What shot of yours has excited you the most?