Grumpy Old Ganz

A Camera...Really?

Taking photos can come with its own set of problems, but also can generate some great opportunities. I was once told, “that a real photographer is never without their camera”. I have taken that to heart and those words have stuck with me. You never know when or where the next great picture moment will occur.

However, there is another saying that applies to this story as well...“never bring a knife to a gunfight”.

Early one morning my dogs woke me up with sounds that I have never heard before. It was almost demonic, but not barking. I got up to see what the issue was and the dogs just stared at an outside wall as if being able to see through it.

I grabbed my camera and went outside with the dogs to investigate.

The dogs were in no hurry to leave my side as we walked behind the house. They stopped and stood rigid, and so did I, with my camera in hand.

I scoured the woods and finally took a deeper look at the trees. It set me back a bit when I saw the issue. There was a set of black bear cubs in a tree next to the house.

Knowing a sow won’t leave her cubs, I proceeded very carefully and with extreme caution. I could not see the mother bear anywhere. I began to take pictures of the cubs in the trees when the sow came out of nowhere and charged me.

This set off the dogs and they did their job to the fullest extent. They both got in front of me and warded off what could have been a serious situation. Their uproar caused the bear to veer away from me.

The picture of the cubs actually made the newspaper!

Learning from this experience taught me when I enter “Narnia”…the gun will be the first thing I grab.

I’ll close with another quote which is my own: “Never bring a camera to a bear encounter”.

I guess I better follow my own advice from here on out...