It was still pretty dark when I arrived along Peralta Trail and stars sparkling in the clear skies. After turning off the engine I was surrounded by an eerie quiet. All my senses were perked. Shortly before sunrise I was greeted with the yelping of coyotes and the songs of the cactus wren. The desert was awakening. I looked compositions that would show the rugged terrain along with the plant life of this desert region. Seems like my eyes were constantly roaming. I was not sure exactly where the sun would rise but had a good guess. I felt lucky to be where I was with the ocotillo and the saguaro as the sun began breaking the horizon. This was the reason I woke up early.
When I arrived at my parents house I noticed my tripod head had come apart and some of it was missing. So when this image was taken I was clamping my camera to the head with a c-clamp and watching it like a hawk. We found the missing part the next day as it had fallen off when I get out the car in my dads garage. All is better now. 🙂
6 Comments
ken bello
Here’s a scene worth getting up early for. and thank goodness for c-clamps!
Monte Stevens
I was pretty bummed about the tripod. We tried to fix it and messed up the threads. After finding the missing piece we were able to repair the threads and get it back in operation. Seems to be working fine.
Paul
Lovely shot, Monte. I was just thinking – what would we do without c-clamps and duct tape?! 🙂
Monte Stevens
Without c-clamps and duct tape there probably would not be engineers and technicians. Nor, would I have driven my old Jetta for as many miles as I did.
Mark
Glad you were able to improvise Monte and not miss out on a peaceful early morning experience.
Monte Stevens
In truth, Mark, I just shot away for those few seconds with minimal glances at my histogram. I think I moved the tripod once or twice. No matter what it was good to be there. 🙂