Tripod grows more legs at Bosque

I just read some accounts of delayed baggage and not having your tripod show up until the next day after you arrive at a location. I know how inconvenient this can be and have had it happen once. I have found it more disconcerting to have your tripod leave, if only an hour, before you depart.

The following is the painful account of my equipment loss this year at Bosque del Apache NWR. It was a bad ending to an otherwise great trip to one of my favorite shooting locations. It was great this year to meet so many new photographers and put faces on names from online acquaintances. As usual there were too many things to do and too little time. As my time there drew to an end I got careless, distracted, had a senior moment, and displayed outright stupidity.

On Monday morning December 1, 2003 my tripod disappeared from the refuge. Minutes after I arrived at the Farm deck I prepared to dissemble the equipment and begin the careful packing procedure to take everything back home. Shock hit me when I looked in the back of the SUV and saw no tripod. I immediately knew right where I left it on the side of the Marsh Loop road after shooting geese and hurried over there to retrieve it. I was very surprised to find it already gone. My next thought was someone had picked it up to take to the visitor center or ranger. I had less than 30 min to try to retrieve the equipment before I had to pack, one way or the other, and head for the airport. I had to give up and hope it would make it to the visitor center later in the afternoon when whomever picked it up finished their loop. Friends helped monitor the visitor center for news of the find but nothing surfaced for the following week plus.

This was the ultimate setup for big glass in my opinion and not an inexpensive undertaking to put all this stuff together as just a hobbyist shooter. It was a Gitzo 1549 CF leg set with a Bogen leveling device, full Wimberley head with quick release plate. If all that wasn’t bad enough I had my Quantum Turbo attached to the arm of the head and a shape shifter flash bracket on it too. At least I didn’t give away my 550EX but did lose my one and only Offshoe cord 2. If your mental calculator says ”that’s close to 1.9K” you are right. It might be falsely assumed that anyone with this kind of equipment must have $$ but I know most of you know this is not true. We are all impassioned with our avocation and most of us make great sacrifices to buy equipment and go places.

What is most surprising to me is that this never got turned in to the rangers or visitor center. I guess this would be a sought after piece for most any bird or wildlife photographer but somewhat limited for quick $ from a pawnshop. A larceny report has been filed with the Socorro County Sheriff Department.

My next system will have an On Star system and possibly a LoJack GPS locator system in case I every get sloppy again or do anything so stupid. My insurance may help a little on some of this but the bottom line is it probably cost me at least one major photo trip this next year.

I’m not asking for anyone’s sympathy but if you know of someone with a windfall dream tripod system that showed up from nowhere let me know. Does anyone know if there are serial numbers on Gitzo tripods or on Wimberley heads?

I’d really like to thank all the people who showed their support related to this incident while someone still has my “support”. Special thanks to Cindy, who delayed her long drive to wait an extra hour at the visitor center, and Greg and Heather for keeping their eyes and ears open and regularly checking various places for any news.

Happy holidays!

This is very bad news indeed!

I feel your pain having had a D60 stolen last year the day after I got it!

Mine was insured (though I waited two weeks for a replacement and it came from Canada) and I hope yours was, too, although insurance does not replace lost opportunities.

Steve:

I am truly sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine your disappointment.

Steve,

I still can't get over the fact that this happened in the first place. I can't imagine the mentality of someone who would just pick up, and walk of with, a tripod that someone obviously left behind moments earlier.

I wonder if looking around on e-bay might be a good idea. Sometimes stolen stuff ends up there, and you never know.

As far as serial numbers there aren't any on Wimberley heads or Gitzo Tripods. I am unsure about the Turbo. It might be a good idea to engrave your stuff with your driver's license number, or something, but that can obviously be rubbed off.

The whole thing just stinks, but I would not blame yourself. One would think that, particularly in a wildlife refuge, you could leave stuff out of site for a half an hour without someone walking off with it. It's a shame that we have to be so careful because some people are thieves.

I hope for whoever uses the tripod (if they use it) their conscience eats away at them.

I am also amazed that someone would actually take it. I'm sure you've checked back at the visitor center since your return???

Cindy told Sheri and me about it on that Monday. We've been wondering ever since. Now we know.

If there is anything we can do to help please don't hesitate to ask.

Steve, I just wish one of our inquiries had turned something up. As has been said, one of the worst parts of it all is knowing that a nature enthusiast visiting the refuge found it and kept it. It's hard to think that someone passionate about birds/wildlife would do such a thing.

E.J., we went to the visitor's center several times after Steve left and inquired on his behalf. We also made one final visit on our last day, I think over a week after Steve had departed, and no one had turned it in.

Again, Steve, I am so sorry that you have had to deal with this. That tripod should have been right where you left it.

I have never found camera gear left behind but have seen people (often Ding Darling @ sunset) get into their cars w/o their tripods and almost drive off.

If there is a serial number on the tripod. turbo or anything else, consider listing it on the stolen equipment registry on photo.net:
http://www.photo.net/registry/

Greg Downing wrote: I hope for whoever uses the tripod (if they use it) their conscience eats away at them.

My hope is that if they use it--
The entire rig comes smashing to the ground. I would like to see the thief's camera looking like a crushed cigarette pack, and a big lens that sounds like some party noise maker when you shake it.

I share with the others and am sorry for your loss. I am regularing on ebay and will watch for similar articles.

Have you checked with the Super 8 motel to see if maybe someone turned it in at that motel since it is the place most of us reside when in Socorro

Actually the Gitzo tripod DO have a serial number. However it is just a small sticker on the inside of the top part of one of the legs, which obviously can be easily removed.

Sorry to hear about your equipment loss. That just plain stinks.

-J

That really stinks -- I am shocked that this could happen. The only people I saw at Bosque were photographers and birders and can't imagine some taking the equipment with the intent to keep or sell.

Was the equipment insured?

I remember hearing about someone who had a carbon fiber Gitzo stolen from the back seat of a car last year while parked somewhere near the town square in Socorro. I was much more careful this year...

I'm disappointed and surprised you never got it back. I'm sorry to hear about it.

This is s good time for all of to increase the odds of our equipment returning to use if we do forget it somewhere. Golf Pro shops carry customized name & phone number labels for golf clubs. They stick to camera equipment just fine. At least with labels on, a marginally honest person won't be able to say he couldn't find the rightful owner.

I haven't ordered from these folks, but they look like nice labels:
http://www.golflabels.com/samples.html

I'm still in a state of disbelief that this could happen in a place like Bosque where I've always felt relatively safe. I guess there are thieves and dishonest people everywhere and you can never let your guard down. Thanks for the suggestions of labelling your gear, I intend to do that. Thanks again Greg and Heather for your extra efforts.

Regarding labelling: I wouldn't think twice about slapping a label on my tripod (and I should do that...) and I'm sure I can stick one or more onto my belt system, but I'm not as sure about sticking them on my camera and lenses. How would you go about labelling those?

-Paul

A label is a good idea for when you leave your stuff somewhere. A cell phone number would probably be the most useful piece of information when traveling. As far as thieves, I doubt labels would do much to stop them, unfortunately.

Peter,

Thanks for that link and a great idea. It would probably not help with a dishonest person but would really make it easy for an honest person to contact us.

Steve,

It is a very long story---I was the last to leave from the top of LaJolla Cliffs one day last winter. A photographer had left a small backpack with a body and a few lenses in it. I called some photographers at a motel next to mine that I had seen there that morning. It did not belong to any of them. I called the police and they came and picked it up from me at my motel. It had no name, card, or anything that could ID who it was except that it was a female. I put a long note in the bag myself along with a card and I gave the police one of my cards.

The photographer was from Philadelphia and was certainly glad to get it back. It took a while.

A photographer in San Diego went out to the Cave Store and posted a sign about it being found. I listed the info on every photographers newsgroup that I could find. The owner finally found out.

What I would like to say is: don't give up on all of mankind, yet. Take a look at every newsgroup that you can and post you info. I believe this lady found some info on nature.net. The person who "picked up" your equipment may be trying to locate who it belongs to.

Things will get better.

Jack