Caribou cross the Nigu river, National Petroleum Reserve Alaska. Canon 5D Mark II, 24-105L IS, (58mm), 1/200 sec @ f/8, ISO 100.
While paddling down the Nigu river on a sunny day, a small herd of bull caribou stepped into the water a little bit down river. I had my camera in a dry bag with the 24-105mm lens on, so I quickly grabbed it for a few shots. Steering the boat did not go well with trying to change lenses to the 100-400mm so I decided to shoot wide and give the view from a canoers perspective. There is a system to be refined for shooting from a canoe, and accessing gear quickly and conveniently. This was just a couple days into the trip, and I did not have that system down yet. Which is one reason that I lost a 5D and 24-105 to the water demons just a few hours after this scene. The proper quick access to dry bags and necessary clips to get your camera gear accessible quickly is critical. I became a participant to this river adventure at the very last minute and had less than one day to pack, which resulted in a few gear omissions in my hasty perparation. Fortunately, I had a backup camera, and things went well from then on.
