Precarious Perches

**Bruce Watson** · 14-Oct-2004, 12:41

I think it started for me in high school. I worked for the local paper covering high school sports. After a couple of years, the older photogs. started draging me along to college games on the weekends.

I knew I was in trouble when I held my ground during a sweep. The linebacker creamed the tight end, and they made a "V" in front of me - the linebacker going to my left, the tight end going to my right. First down!

Then I looked around, and all the other people on the sidelines, players, coaches, officials, and other photographers had moved off by at least 10 yards. Hmmm....

But my picture ran on the front page above the fold. I also got a lecture from the photo department head about safety. But he had to fight to contain his smile ;-)

I've been like that ever since. And no, I don't even remember who was playing. But I do remember looking at that negative as I pulled the film off the reel. That's a feeling you don't soon forget.

**Harold_4074** · 14-Oct-2004, 12:57

Perhaps we should keep in mind the difference, often ignored, between doing something "successfully" and doing it "safely". The former means that nothing went wrong the last time you attempted it; the latter implies that it will (always?) go right on future attempts. Sort of like parachute jumping---practice constantly, but do it right every time.

Hogarth Hughes' comment reminds me of the sensation of being on the sidelines of a high school football game, with a TLR, and seeing the ball centered in the finder and wobbling as its image grew rapidly larger. I never actually got run over by a pass receiver or hit by the ball, but there were a few close calls!

**Tom Hieb** · 14-Oct-2004, 15:20

Twice, I have lost camera and tripod over the edge of a cliff. One went into the water and was never seen again and the other came apart very impressively on the bare rocks several hundred feet below. I believe that I am now more careful about working at the edge of cliffs or in streams. My wife, however, thinks I'm crazy and, according to her, she has numerous little talks with God whenever she watches me taking pictures. So I guess one person's careful is another's crazy.

Lately, when I am working near the edge of a cliff or other dangerous place, I have started clipping the tripod to my belt or a chest harness using a short bungee cord and carabineers. This doesn't help me from going over the edge, but it does help with sudden unexpected gusts of wind or clumsiness (the camera that hit the rocks was accidentally bumped off the edge of the cliff by me). I don't do this if I think it might be dangerous to me, and I have learned to just walk away from some of the most dangerous spots (there are always other good pictures to be had). But those darn cliff, boulders, swift moving mountain streams,… they are awfully tempting.

**Brian Ellis** · 14-Oct-2004, 16:20

On my most recent 10 day photography trip I successfully negotiated some pretty slippery seaside rocks and other similar risky places, only to trip and fall on my face when checking into a hotel at the end of the trip.

**Jim Rice** · 14-Oct-2004, 18:28

Your local industial supply place will have a climbing harness for around $200. It won't help much with the trip, but once you get there it will tie you off to something substantial and drastically (as in save your life) shorten your fall. Don't make me tell your spouse about it.

The auto supply store has a little mirror (for exposure settings)swivel mounted to a telescoping wand. Six bucks and light and compact when folded. Of course, I'm too big a pussy to need either one, but I have had to climb towers, and I do occasionally work on my car.

**Jim Rice** · 14-Oct-2004, 19:33

Spare the 'blad guy, Dan. OTOH, Leica guys are fair game. Sorry, Ralph.

**Jim Rice** · 14-Oct-2004, 20:21

But then I suppose it depends on what Ralph is packing at a given moment. And if it's one of those big bore thingies, I take it all back.

**Ralph Barker** · 16-Oct-2004, 09:33

Jim - the mark of a good "dangerous-places" photographer is to see the falling brick out of the corner of one's eye, then quickly draw his/her .44 magnum and obliterate the brick on its way down. These folks can be identified by the light coating of brick dust on their shoulders, and the distinctive bulge under their jackets. ;-)

Alternatively, a hard hat might not be a bad idea for industrial locales. I hear there's a reason people who work in such places wear them. ;-)

**neil poulsen** · 19-Oct-2004, 08:30

One time I had trained my venerable S2a at the end of an overpass on an intriguing scene. As I was preparing to take the photograph, I heard a crash behind me. As I backed away to see what had occurred, everything went into slow motion. There had been a collision in the intersection on that side of the overpass. One of the cars had turned, and it's back end was headed straight for my camera. Without even thinking, I danced in, retrieved my camera and tripod and danced out again. Probably less than a second later, the back end of that car crashed into the very location at which I had been photographing. It all seemed so synchronized. Everything went perfect.

Its funny how people can react in that kind of a situation. I knew I loved that camera and didn't want to lose it. But thinking about it later, the outcome could have been very different. I wonder what I would do now if a similar event occurred again.