The pursuit of photography is not without perils.
Hidden dangers, risks, pitfalls, random acts, slips, falls, lost of equipment, theft, accidents, sunburn, windburn, exposure, danger, attacks, animals, people, mud, snow, rain….All kinds of things can occur when one is in pursuit of a photograph.
I’ve had my slips. Once trying to get a shot of an icy waterfall, I slipped sideways on the trail – fell right on my tripod bending the leg and bruising my ribs.
I’ve had equipment malfunctions or shall we say zipper malfunctions where a Canon L lens fell out of my backpack on to a paved parking lot. The only thing that saved it from utter destruction was the lens hood.
On another adventure my car got stuck in the snow and I had to walk to the closest general store to ask some nice farmer to help pull my car out of the drift.
Then there is always the random threat of attracting too much attention alone in remote areas with thousands of dollars on your back. Luckily I’ve only met chatty fishermen or the curious “what cha taking a picture of” kind of encounters. In the national parks the threat is typically a gear hound coming up to show you their new camera.
The perils I typically try to keep in mind are the slips and fall hazards as I try to get into position around fast moving water. But I’m also wary of being shot by a hunter in turkey season, or deer season or whatever season is going on, being run off the road by a hay truck, or being shot by some gun nut as a hunt around a property that appears to be abandoned.
Dogs are by far the most common threat I’ve encountered as I hunt around rural Vermont and New Hampshire for photographic possibilities. Where ever there is a house, there is typically a dog running around and they are typically loose. I’ve had to back away towards the car on a number of occasions. Just yesterday I was taking a photo of an old antique Ford sedan in a field and this dog came out and started barking at me. I suppose I should carry some kind of dog spray like a postal worker.
The thing is I use my camera as an excuse to get myself into situations that may or may not the most safe so extra caution is required.
The Bath Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge over the Ammonoosuc River off US 302 and NH 10 in Bath, New Hampshire. The bridge, built in 1833 by the town of Bath, has a span of over 390 feet (120 m) and a roadbed that is just over 22 feet (6.7 m) wide. The bridge consists of four spans supported by Burr trusses. It also features an enclosed sidewalk. The bridge is posted as a one lane bridge for six tons, passenger cars only.