Hugs
Those cuddly looking look so inviting and almost beg you to take a free hug. The closest I came in contact was with one which clung thankfully only to my boot and was knocked off by Talor Stone with my tripod. I saw how the spines got into the boot of the tripod now. If they can get into hard rubber and refuse to come out, imagine what they do with your flesh.
This is the one downside to shooting in Arizona. One has to keep an eye out for unwanted attention from the Cholla cactus. They are best enjoyed from a distance. On this occasion, I was on my own split up from the rest of the group. The sky was meh and I gave up after trying to find decent compositions involving desert vegetation. More than anything else, I wanted to go back to the car before it got too dark and bump into or step on one of those that is always ready to hitch a ride.
On my way back, I turned and turned back to look for Wayne Suggs who had ventured further out than I did. While I did not see him, I saw these things and I took a shot from a safe distance as the cacti seemingly glowed in the fading light.
When I got back to the car, Talor told me all three in her group were not spared and some blood had to be spilled. We waited for some more time and Wayne finally showed up. He had the same experience. Wayne went on to remove the cholla spines from his shin and it sure did not look like he was enjoying it. I was glad I was unscathed on my last shoot there.
Do you guys have any tricks to avoiding being poked by the cholla and if you do end up getting attacked by one, what do you do? Carrying Needle Nose Pliers is one thing most folks seem to agree upon. What else?
Sony a7RIV
Sony SAL 70-400mm G2
ISO 3200, 70mm, 1/80s at f/8
Hugs
Those cuddly looking look so inviting and almost beg you to take a free hug. The closest I came in contact was with one which clung thankfully only to my boot and was knocked off by Talor Stone with my tripod. I saw how the spines got into the boot of the tripod now. If they can get into hard rubber and refuse to come out, imagine what they do with your flesh.
This is the one downside to shooting in Arizona. One has to keep an eye out for unwanted attention from the Cholla cactus. They are best enjoyed from a distance. On this occasion, I was on my own split up from the rest of the group. The sky was meh and I gave up after trying to find decent compositions involving desert vegetation. More than anything else, I wanted to go back to the car before it got too dark and bump into or step on one of those that is always ready to hitch a ride.
On my way back, I turned and turned back to look for Wayne Suggs who had ventured further out than I did. While I did not see him, I saw these things and I took a shot from a safe distance as the cacti seemingly glowed in the fading light.
When I got back to the car, Talor told me all three in her group were not spared and some blood had to be spilled. We waited for some more time and Wayne finally showed up. He had the same experience. Wayne went on to remove the cholla spines from his shin and it sure did not look like he was enjoying it. I was glad I was unscathed on my last shoot there.
Do you guys have any tricks to avoiding being poked by the cholla and if you do end up getting attacked by one, what do you do? Carrying Needle Nose Pliers is one thing most folks seem to agree upon. What else?
Sony a7RIV
Sony SAL 70-400mm G2
ISO 3200, 70mm, 1/80s at f/8