I grew up near a forested area and have been going and staying in the wilderness since my childhood.
It was my playing ground as well as my hiding place and learning experience.
In my teenager years all my friends went to the clubs, pubs and parties, while I went to the forest - that has not changed to this day. My heart, soul and body belong to the wilderness until the day I cross over to the other side.
Over the years, I have had many strange and humorous experiences.
It is time to talk about some of these and I hope you shall share some of yours!
Story of how I nearly got shot (first experience)
I was in my early 20's and my family just had gotten back my grand-grand-grand-grand uncles farm.
Not much had survived, aside of a root cellar and collapsed buildings. Everything was overgrown in a thick bush. It had been abandoned for over 50 years.
It was late october and the leaves had all fallen on the muddy ground. Nights had became long and cold. To find things to do in those long nights, I had taken my camera and tripod with me. One clear night, I decided to go on a wheat field to photograph the night sky.
I chose a spot, set up my camera. Allowed myself a long time to frame the picture, calculate my shutter speed etc. I was shooting on 35mm B/W film and figured, it would take about 5 minute exposure to get the result I was after.
After about a minute or two I heard a movement on the treeline. "A deer!" I tought and was dissapointed I did not bring any light source with me.
At that time I heard another sound - it was a sound of a car engine coming down the village road, right next to the field I was standing on.
I started to see the headlights and then - a bright and huge light-beam! That came from the back of the truck and it started to scan the field. The light-beam passed over me several times but because I happened to wear all black clothes and stood on a muddy black field with leafless trees as a background, they must have not seen me.
However, they did see the creature that was making a noise at the treeline. It was a deer indeed!
The light-beam stopped at the deer. The car stopped, and I heard a faint muffled speach.
"What are they doing? Should I let them know I am her.."
BOOM! A gunshot was fired.
I was standing almost exactly between the car and the deer. I head the bullet fly past me and hit the deer.
I was totally frozen, my hand still holding down the shutter button of the camera.
Two flashlights were turned on and those started to move towards me. They came closer, but must have not seen me. They walked up to the deer and carried it back to the truck. I was no more than 20 meter away form them.
The bright light-beam was turned off and the car went back to where it came from, disappearing over a hill.
I stood there, still in shock, and thinking to myself, "So these must have been poachers. I wonder if the exposure is done."
That was my first time when I nearly got shot in that village.
EDIT: The image was underexposed. It must have had happened faster than I thought or my calculations were off.
It was my playing ground as well as my hiding place and learning experience.
In my teenager years all my friends went to the clubs, pubs and parties, while I went to the forest - that has not changed to this day. My heart, soul and body belong to the wilderness until the day I cross over to the other side.
Over the years, I have had many strange and humorous experiences.
It is time to talk about some of these and I hope you shall share some of yours!
Story of how I nearly got shot (first experience)
I was in my early 20's and my family just had gotten back my grand-grand-grand-grand uncles farm.
Not much had survived, aside of a root cellar and collapsed buildings. Everything was overgrown in a thick bush. It had been abandoned for over 50 years.
It was late october and the leaves had all fallen on the muddy ground. Nights had became long and cold. To find things to do in those long nights, I had taken my camera and tripod with me. One clear night, I decided to go on a wheat field to photograph the night sky.
I chose a spot, set up my camera. Allowed myself a long time to frame the picture, calculate my shutter speed etc. I was shooting on 35mm B/W film and figured, it would take about 5 minute exposure to get the result I was after.
After about a minute or two I heard a movement on the treeline. "A deer!" I tought and was dissapointed I did not bring any light source with me.
At that time I heard another sound - it was a sound of a car engine coming down the village road, right next to the field I was standing on.
I started to see the headlights and then - a bright and huge light-beam! That came from the back of the truck and it started to scan the field. The light-beam passed over me several times but because I happened to wear all black clothes and stood on a muddy black field with leafless trees as a background, they must have not seen me.
However, they did see the creature that was making a noise at the treeline. It was a deer indeed!
The light-beam stopped at the deer. The car stopped, and I heard a faint muffled speach.
"What are they doing? Should I let them know I am her.."
BOOM! A gunshot was fired.
I was standing almost exactly between the car and the deer. I head the bullet fly past me and hit the deer.
I was totally frozen, my hand still holding down the shutter button of the camera.
Two flashlights were turned on and those started to move towards me. They came closer, but must have not seen me. They walked up to the deer and carried it back to the truck. I was no more than 20 meter away form them.
The bright light-beam was turned off and the car went back to where it came from, disappearing over a hill.
I stood there, still in shock, and thinking to myself, "So these must have been poachers. I wonder if the exposure is done."
That was my first time when I nearly got shot in that village.
EDIT: The image was underexposed. It must have had happened faster than I thought or my calculations were off.