Mind How You go

olli

Super Moderator Emeritus
Location
Guangzhou
Name
olli
I'm sure we all read the news stories of the deaths of photographers Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondoros in Libya a couple of weeks ago. War zones are dangerous places and tragic as their deaths were they are not the first and won't be the last photographers to be killed covering a conflict.

Yet it's not just in war zones that danger lurks. David DuChemin, aa Canadian photographer whose blog at Pixelated Image is a regular read for me and whose books I have on my shelves is currently blogging from hospital.

On a photoshoot in Italy DuChemin climbed onto a wall to get a better shot, lost his balance and fell off the other side - 20 feet onto concrete. He's alive, but won't be walking again for three months.

It did make me wonder about the risks we take to take pictures. I'm never going near a war zone, but I have from time to time, entered old crumbling buildings, crossed railway lines, ducked out into traffic and probably a few others things. They all seem harmless at the time but they are all very stupid.

It's not just the professionals who can become so absorbed with the shot that they will take risks. All of us can be so consumed or so focused on getting the shot we want that we will take chances we would not ordinarily take.

So, this week's photography tip is, Take Care.
 
I once climbed very high into a tree in the forest of upstate NY to get a picture of a bird that rarely comes down low. I did it without any safety belt, carrying camera and very large lens, and was totally alone in the woods. But I was much younger then, and would not do such a foolish thing any more. I look back in amazement at all the foolish things I did for a picture when I was young. By the way, I did get the pictures. ;)
 
summerki AKA Kevin recently posted about a foray of his in the woods - alone - that could easily have "gone south" but didn't.

Yes, olli, the deaths of both Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondoros were tragic. I'm sure there have been many war photographers who have lost their lives due to their work. I don't have that kind of courage.

There's a fellow, I'm sorry that I can't think of his name right now, over across the hall at Mu43 who used to post photos he'd taken at a number of completely dilapidated buildings...kind of along the lines of what Ricky recently posted in this thread https://www.photographerslounge.org/f22/buckner-building-2189/ but much worse...and I used to worry about his health... I have a Flickr pal that takes a lot of pictures "underground" in some pretty unseemly places...where there's runoff from who knows where...:eek: I am way too much of a worrier. However, all this said one needs to keep one's wits about them in many different settings - including certain urban venues, as well.
 
Back
Top