Fathers and daughters have a special bond. Dads are someone we look up to and count on when the going gets rough. It's these men that see us through our childhoods, teach us to ride bikes, fish, change the spark plugs and the oil in a car, all the things that a girl needs to know to survive in the real world. It had been the same for my Dad and me. He is the guy I looked up to all those years. But just one day of photography has changed all that!

It was about five years ago when I bought him his first 400mm lens for Christmas. He had always enjoyed photography, and now he wanted to share my interest in nature photography. I looked forward to the day we could be out together shooting. I took pride that Christmas when he opened the box and his eyes glistened as he looked at the new gift. We decided to go to the Zoo the next day so that he could try it out.

We reached he zoo early that morning; both of us smiling and enjoying each other's company. I knew my dad wasn't used to using a tripod or the long lens, so I went over proper lens and tripod technique. I explained that the long center post on the tripod really shouldn't be raised as it creates an unsteady situation for the camera, thus destroying the benefit of using the tripod. He seemed to understand, and we went in to the zoo.

The flamingos are always a good subject for beginning students. These creatures are graceful, colorful, and the enclosure makes for easy shooting. We set up, and I was cognizant of my Dad making sure he didn't need any help. Everything looked fine, tripod at the proper height, good lens technique just as we discussed. I had my eye on a bird that was in gorgeous light. I had the composition I wanted and was just about to press the shutter when I heard, "Debbie, my lens doesn't work. It's defective." I couldn't begin to guess what could be the matter; it was new from B&H. My mind raced, maybe the focus.... "What's the problem, Dad?" "I can't see anything" he replied. Of course I instantly knew and I asked, "Did you take the lens cap off?" I heard the usual reply I often hear from first time shooters in the field, "I think so... Oh. Never mind." I smiled to myself thinking that it must just be the excitement of being out with that new lens and ME! I was so pleased at the thought that it didn't even matter that my subject had moved and I had to search the scene for another one to photograph.

We continued on around the zoo that morning photographing for a few hours until the light was changing. I was anxious to finish up and was looking for the last subject for the day. My Dad wanted to visit the Rhinos, so we headed in that direction. Once again we set up, but I had found something of more interest to me to photograph, it was a rabbit living in the zoo enclosure. I always try to take advantage of the little "extras" at the zoo. I fired off a couple of shots before some passerby's caused him to run into the planted area. I stood up and turned to see how Dad was doing.

Now I have a taught a few workshops and been on many others, so I thought I had seen just about everything that could possibly happen in the field. Well I was soon to find out I was wrong. As I turned to see my Dad he was holding his camera in both hands. Now you may be thinking that's okay if there was enough light for handholding even with a 400mm. Well, nowhere in any Nature Photography book does it say that you can handhold a 400mm lens at eye level WHILE THE TRIPOD IS ATTACHED. Yep, there he was, in Houston Texas, the city where many people know me by name, handholding his telephoto lens, camera body, with the tripod attached at least eight inches off the ground!

I turned and tried to think of what to do. "If I left him could he find his way back to the truck? Did I want him to find his way back to the truck?" I quickly scanned the area to see if anyone was around. Yes, there were people, but none that I knew. Whew! I then walked over to him and asked, "Dad, why are you doing that?" His reply was simply, "You told me not to raise the center post and I had to get this fence out of the way." I said, "Oh okay. Well I think it's time to go home now. Are you ready?"

So we loaded up and headed for home. As we drove, he told me about all the great shots he had taken that day and how much fun he had with me. I was beginning to get over the tripod incident, and I too was saying how much fun I had with him. I parked in front of the film lab and with a big smile on his face he got his camera out. As he opened the camera back, I heard a groan and some profanity. He never loaded the camera with film!

The paternity testing did prove he is indeed my father. But if I didn't work in the medical field I would swear that the technology isn't accurate. We still go out to shoot together every time we can. I have assured him that real photographers go out into the wild to photograph where there are no other photographers or people around. That it separates "the men from the boys."

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