Shutter Speed

 

I had followed the footprints in the snow for so long now that I quickly realized I had no clue where I was.  At this point my only option was to follow the footprints in reverse.  I was fairly certain the deer I had been tracking was very aware of me.  I most likely was not all that quiet tromping through the woods, and my scent wasn’t something they were familiar with, besides, the odds of me snagging a picture of the big buck would have been very low, based on my camera lens fogging up the moment I removed the lens cap, not that my frozen fingers would be able to function. 

As I headed back I could see that time was against me.  The blowing wind was quickly covering over the footprints I was attempting to follow.  They would soon be gone completely, leaving yours truly, just another lost moron out in the North woods.   Now, if the writer of this adventure was really my friend, he'd tell the story of my magic backpack.  It is not only full of food and supplies, but also an inflatable cabin, complete with a fireplace, with cut and stacked logs.  It has a portable generator, signal flares and a party size bag of Cheetos. 

But, you're right, he isn't all that fond of me, so I haven't any backpack and the strap holding my camera around my neck just snapped, from the brittle cold..  So now I have to hold it in my frozen hand, keeping my other hand free to push the branches away from my my face as I walk.  Remind me to do this again, real soon.

The loud crack of a limb to my left caught my attention.  I stopped walking and just stood very still, waiting to see if anything happened.  It did.  The large buck I had been tracking stepped out into a clearing and looked at me.  His breath, like a locomotive's steam, shot out from his nostrils.  It was faint, but I could hear him breathing.  I wanted to slowly bring my camera up to eye level and snap off a few shots.  This was exactly the picture I had been hoping to get.  This large, majestic animal, standing there against the white snowy background.  Now I was more excited than cold.  OK, I take that back, I was absolutely freezing, but for the moment I didn't care.  I just wanted this picture. 

I ever so slowly lifted the camera and with my other hand I reached around and pulled the lens cap off.  I turned the top dial on the camera to auto-focus and looked at the massive buck through the camera.  He wasn't moving.  He didn't seem at all concerned with what I was doing.  He snorted and his breath shot out even farther.  Then I noticed that not only was I shivering, but my hands were shaking from being so cold.  How was I ever going to hold the camera still enough to take the picture.  My only hope was that the shutter speed would be fast enough to override my shaking.

Good-luck with that, I thought to myself, and oh, by the way - you're still lost.