Dangerous locations

[ejchem101]

Hey guys. I am not new to slr photography but now that my equipment begins to get more expensive (still not a 5d but expensive for me).

I am just wondering what you do to allow yourself to relax while shooting in "dangerous". Conditions where there is likely chance your

beloved and expensive camera could come to harm.

 

Are there situations you leave yours behind?

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>If you know someplace is dangerous, don't go there (unless it is your sworn duty to do so). You don't get medals for being stupid. Nobody cares.</p>

<p>It's the places you think are safe that can surprise you. Don't relax there either. Be aware of your environment and be prepared.</p>

[bobatkins]

<p>If I'm going somewhere the camera may get damaged (e.g. I'm out kayaking), I'll typically take a P&S camera and leave the expensive stuff at home. If I was a skydiver, I'd take the P&S there too! Since I'm not shooting in either situation for a living, I don't need to take the risk.</p>

<p>I try to avoid "dangerous neighborhoods" whether I have a camera with me or not!</p>

[geoffs1]

<p>I don't take my "good" equipment out with me in my iceboat when I'm racing. I have a P&S and cell-phone camera for that.<br>

FWIW, the most dangerous situations <a href="http://www.fencecheck.com/forums/index.php/topic,12034.msg201290.html#msg201290">I get into</a> are usually <strong>because </strong>I'm taking photos...</p>

[SCL]

<p>I once took my Leica gear whitewater kayaking (in a waterproof pouch), but was too concerned about its safety to use it....after than I took my less expensive stuff. Unfortunately, over the years, I've often obsessed about taking my best gear into harm's way...yeah I still have the the gear, but I would have loved to have used my best in some of those situations.</p>

[stp]

<p>In the dangerous places I frequent, I'm far more concerned about my safety than that of my camera. There's nothing quite like a remote mountain trail at night while hiking alone to really heighten the senses.</p>

[johnw436]

<p>If my plan is to plunk my tripod in the river and shoot photos while I'm chest deep in moving water, then I use one of my Medium Format cameras. I can replace them for a few hundred bucks and the image quality is not a question.</p>

<p>It's funny. The guy I bought a lot of my Medium Format stuff from bought it brand new at retail. In his eyes I am carrying gear worth the price of a brand new car out into the river. After all, that's what he actually paid for it. The thought that I would use his gear for stuff like that and leave a measly thousand dollar DSLR on dry land makes him want to beat me with a stick. </p>

<p>Still, you can pick up an entire Medium Format kit for less than the price of one good lens for your DSLR. You don't have to compromise quality unless you need autofocus, etc. There are tons of really, I mean REALLY, nice digital point and shoots nowadays. Pentax just released their newest version that is waterproof through 1 atmosphere I believe. I have been thinking seriously about grabbing one.</p>

[paul_de_ley]

<p>When traveling internationally I bring along the first dslr body I bought, a Sony a100, instead of my bigger, newer and more expensive a700. The a100 is at well over 60k actuations now, so (while I would hate to lose it for its sentimental value) in terms of lost resale value any mishaps with it would a minor $ loss. It can't match its bigger brother in a bunch of features, but I know what it can do and it's a lot better than bringing a p&s - or stressing out all the time over expensive kit to the point where you're afraid to show & use it.</p>

[pjmeade]

<p>There's the potential for great harm to befall me and the camera when shooting polo and shooting in the competing area at other equestrian events.<br>

I keep my eyes and ears open, plan ahead and try to avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time.<br>

Unlike this person<br>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F246MqrHxQI">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F246MqrHxQI</a></p>

[david_henderson]

<p>I share Mr Penland's perspective that I'm more concerned about me than I am about cameras which in my case at least are not "beloved". I have insurance for my kit, and in the event of theft or fundamental damage i'd just need to go and replace it. </p>

<p>To relax you need to take the right attitudes in. I photograph quite often in abandoned buildings where the stairways and floors might give way. I photograph alone on the back streets of cities when there are few people around. I drive on shelf roads that are little wider than the car, but that's not in any sense bravery, its just that my desire to get the pictures i want is big enough to overcome apprehension. If it isn't. well I won't stay. If you're first thoughts are always of the danger you're in, then either accept the sort of person you are or carry out some forced immersion till you get used to it. </p>

[DickArnold]

I have full replacement insurance for my camera gear in a separate policy from my homeowners. I did this after I destroyed a Canon A2 trying to shoot soccer several years ago to meet a deadline in a driving rain. I still would follow the advice about using a point and shoot instead of expensive gear. But it gives me peace of mind when I leave gear in the car or am tempted to hang out over a waterfall like I did yesterday.

[ejchem101]

<p>Thanks for all of the responses guys, I think that I am about the same as most of you then. I don't take my expensive gear everywhere with me.</p>

<p>I do a lot of hunting and there are some opportunities that I wish I had my better gear with me. However, most of the time we are waist deep in water, one wrong step and there are times where even I have come up drenched. I guess at some point or another we all have to weigh the risks. But... there are also a lot of times where I thnk: In order to get something unique I need to take risks that others are not willing to take.</p>

 

[GerrySiegel]

<p>I used to baby the stuff more than I do now, getting on I suppose. I also think that the modern camera is pretty durable and have proof of its survivabillity.Now, what about normal everyday situations where you would not expect a calamitous event?. Take the situation of having a loose snap lock lever on a tripod leg for instance and where the pod and its passenger items come a crashing. My insurance,re that event is to check and double check automatically the locks and security devices and the knob that clamps the ball head....True, I never went hang gliding with a camera if you have that in mind. If I did, I am not sure what I would take and maybe forget the camera altogether..not always necessary all the time everywhere I have decided... <br /> I had second thoughts 10 years ago, walking with a camera bag on my shoulder from the Bart Station in Oakland one early evening in an iffy neighborhood over to Jack London Square. Well real hazard or not it felt creepy at the time, no people, old warehouses, dark doorways, is what I mean. (The demons are of course in our head a lot of time.) You will find a method to alleviate the nagging concern, Erik. Best to you, gs</p>

[mikael_karlsson]

<p>I bring these guys along. They seem to send any dangerous people running...<br /><br />OT: I frequently do end up in dangerous situations but I'm used to it and know that, for me, it generally works to keep a low profile but at the same time look self-confident. Not showing fear and not being afraid to bite back if needed helps. Experience handling difficult people and situations certainly help, at least it does me. Being - if ever so slightly these days - in law enforcement also help naturally but it isn't anything I advertise, especially not on the street, when off duty. You'd be surprised at the number of people these days who'd attack any cop simply because they're a cop. Much more than muscles or weapons (which I don't carry unless I have to) verbal skills and knowing how to deal with people I think are the things most keeping me out of serious trouble.<br /><br /><br /></p><div></div>

[steve_levine]

<p>I think for anyone to answer, <em>"you" </em>must define dangerous. One man's safe environment, is another man's nightmare. For example someone from rural America, might assume all of urban America, is "dangerous". And I know many city types that assume the woods are dangerous.</p>

<p> </p>

[jpo3136b]

<p>I pretty much take the cameras everywhere, but most of what I use would be considered as low-end by others anyway.</p>

<p>While soldiering, I got to where I would not even go anywhere with the camera. The amount of potential legal and political problems was so great that the harassment of possessing a camera alone was not worth it. If an emergency happened, then I was working anyway. For daily life photos, those, too, can create a bunch of problems.</p>

<p>The harassment and hassling over thin worries about what someone would say over any picture alone was a real pain. It's just one of the trade-offs about taking the job. For me, personally, restrictions on expression were a leading contributing factor to deciding to leave military service. I found the atmosphere to be so restrictive and oppressive when it came to basic personal expression or daily life matters that it was obvious the greatest dangers involved egregious legal and political claims from our own people more than any physical danger before the enemy.</p>

<p>The job was just too uptight for photography and basic personal expression, so I eventually left. I don't think Jesus could have carried a camera out there on his own and avoided trouble. ;-) It was impossible to enjoy the basic freedoms we were trying to protect. Politics makes all that the more worse.</p>

<p>"If we could all just get along", that would be great.</p>

<p>Warfare is the only time I felt really conscious that a camera would get me into permanent big trouble. Leading antagonist? Our own people. I put up with it for seven more years because there was a big emergency (a large attack on New York City), but after I had done about as much as I could do with that, it was time to go home. I enjoy making pictures now, so it is no big deal.</p>

<p>Just proceed with confidence and bring your camera when you want. If you don't feel like bringing your camera, leave it behind. There's no requirement for you to carry a trouble magnet around your neck, if that's what it feels like at the time. You'll make good photos as it is, if you stick with it. </p>

[mark_drutz]

<p>If you mean high crime areas, I don't shoot in high crime areas. In situations where the camera could be damaged I use a P&S or a bridge camera. By bridge camera I mean one with a superzoom and an electronic viewfinder. I used to use a Fuji S6000fd and now I use a Lumix FZ35.</p>

[rickbarbosa]

<p>The trick is to buy gear that is even <strong>more </strong>expensive. The older gear becomes your back-up gear, and you can use that in dangerous situations and inclement weather. If you can't afford new gear, I guess you'll have to just do your resesearch, like I did, and buy gear that is tough enough to deal with whatever abuse you think it will have to endure. I bought a D200 when it came out a few years ago. It is always slung over my shoulder(holster), or clipped to a belt, or strapped to my pack. It's still going strong. Not as shiny, and I couldn't sell it for a quarter of what I payed for it new, but it still does its' job. Anyone who works, (or plays) in a dangerous environment is usually well trained in maintainig situational awareness, and the last thing they need to worry about is wether or not the gear is up to the task. </p>

[ejchem101]

<p>Ricardo, not a bad about buying even <strong>more</strong> expensive stuff. </p>

<p>When I was talking about dangerous I originally meant for the camera (there aren't many situations I worry about myself in) but it has been very interesting to read about some of the things you guys work with!</p>

<p>To add on to my OT, what type of climate situation do you consider it too risky to take your nice camera out? What precautions do you take to not have it damage your camera?</p>

<p>I have a canon 20D and some L series lenses. I know the 17-40 is weather sealed (I have a filter on it) but I dont think my 70-200 f4 is. I bought the L series largely in part because I dont want to have to worry if they take a couple of bangs... but then again, they were more expensive and I believe that might be what holds me back sometimes.</p>

[walter_strong5]

<p>Take it from an old fart. If you sense danger at all, pack up and move on in a hurry. The greatest picture ever taken cannot compensate for a slug thru your torso or a long knife for that matter. There are gang bangers all over the country who'll kill you in a heartbeat. Stay away from their neighborhoods. Fergzample, I don't go to the south end of Modesto (CA) for ANY reason and there are probably places near you that are as unfriendly. </p>

[jpo3136b]

<p>Salt spray is probably the nastiest and most insidious of the mess-makers with camera equipment. Sand would have to be a close second. Bag the camera and clean it off afterwards. Check on it 24 hours later, and clean it off again. Even if you have a sealed up camera, it'll help to somehow cover it because invariably, there will eventually be that one piece of grit or corrosion that causes a problem. Some part of something about that equipment is fragile.</p>

<p>Complete immersion usually ends badly. Some all-mechanical film cameras can take a dunk because of the toughness of the parts and the absence of electricity; and there are a few submersible cameras; but generally speaking, there are a bunch of horror stories that involve "dropped my camera in the ocean." They usually involve a second ocean of tears.</p>

<p>If you can walk around comfortably in the environment without a bunch of precautions and can breathe on your own there, the camera will probably be fine. Excepting maybe severe rain, which is just another form of immersion. If you're smart enough to protect the camera from rain every time, you'll be smarter than I have been.</p>

<p>Don't drop it. I think I've busted one of everything by somehow dropping it or banging it against a rock. Optics are fragile. Use more common sense than I've got. That may be easier to achieve than I'd like to admit.</p>

[pjmeade]

<p>Even with the greatest level of planing and careful placemet, there are going to be some days, when you are just unlucky.<br>

Whilst peacefully watching a bullfight, this bull decided to rip up the ring, the next shot in the sequence was that plank a couple of inches from my face. It missed me, but not by a lot.<br>

<a title="Course Camarguaise by Peter Meade, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2706/4487207582_d585bb49d1.jpg" alt="Course Camarguaise" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>

[ejchem101]

<p>WHOA peter! Not something you expect to happen for sure, I thought at fist the board was just some missplaced beam. Glad you were ok.</p>

[walter_strong5]

<p>I'll tell ya for sure that guy running across the arena is a LOT more gutsier than I!</p>

[john_jennings2]

<p>I thought this was about mean streets, but it took a different turn.<br />Do all your 'fiddling" with your equipment in a safe location before you go in. Go in lean and mean on a time budget. Blend in. "Threshing about" attracts predators. When it's time to go, go.</p>