Nature Photographers…Do You Carry a Compass in Your Camera Bag?

Some days, you just come back empty handed. I spent the afternoon at Rock Cut State Park in Loves Park, Illinois in search of a field of Thistle in full bloom and abundant with Monarch Butterflies. A field of Pale Purple Coneflowers would have been just as good.

Instead, I found a spattering of Prairie Milkweed in bloom throughout the park and one butterfly. This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) gave me five minutes of it’s time to make some photos. Unfortunately, we had bald skies in northern Illinois today making the dynamic range higher than I like. And as you can see in this image, Mr. Butterfly is older with weathered and torn wings.

On top of all that, I got lost in the park. I was hiking in an area new to me and was experimenting with different trails. I hiked one hour out, and spent about two hours getting back. I actually wasn’t lost. The area I was in had major roads on three sides, I have a compass that stays in my camera bag at all times, and I had my smart phone with GPS and Google Maps. The trick was just finding the right combination of trails to get back to the car.

Despite the lack of images, it was a good day for a nature hike and a chance to get some fresh air. And let’s face it…even a bad day out making photographs is better than a good day at work.

So I guess the moral to this story is, if you enjoy nature and wildlife photography, always carry a compass in your camera bag and know how to use it. They are cheap, lightweight and easy to use. A compass comes in darn handy when predicting sun position for a sunrise or sunset photo. And sometimes they come in handy to help you find your way home.

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