How far will you go for a picture?

Eirebear

Me and my better half took a run down to one of my favourite day trip spots as a kid, a little place on the west coast of scotland called Helensburgh.
Now memories of Helensburgh for me are of sunny days eating Ice Cream and playing crazy golf with my folks and grandparents, going for a "pub lunch" and having a whirl at the shows (thats scottish for funfair BW).
Nowadays though its a fairly desolate place, it certainly shattered my memories.
Whats left of the shows is surrounded by a rather large steel fence, the pier is rundown and the crazy golf no longer there.

The fenced off funfair really brought back a few emotions for me and i took this shot, which i like...but i know if i had jumped the fence and got closer i could have got some fantastic images.
Anyway, my question to you all is how far is it ok to go for that special image?
Do you "jump the fence", do you look around for a security guard and bribe him? or do you, like me, wimp out, go home and regret it?

rymus

depends really.. in general I'd say "as far as you need to go". There have been times where I'd jumped that fence, gone into the derelict hotel that I knew wasnt safe or generally committed acts of trespass to get a photo.

Likewise there's been plenty of times that I didn't bother and took the easy option. I do have a big one in mind for the last year or so that I've got to get back to, but it'll probably have to be an obscenely early morning venture so I don't get rumbled by the constabulary.

Eirebear

hmmm, so its basically a horses for courses thing.
Think i may go back in a couple of weeks when the weather has completely taken a turn for the worst and the place is deserted....

rymus

Eirebear wrote:

hmmm, so its basically a horses for courses thing.

Quite. If you don't get caught, happy days. If you do and you're in the wrong, take your leave quietly and quickly. Never surrender memory cards

TelePaul

I've risked quite a bit for outdoor shots...I was in Yosemite last summer, up at the lower falls. I was wading chest high through the coldest water with my camera over my head. Man that was freezing!

rymus

Aaaaarrrrgh... waterproof case!!?!?!!?

TelePaul

rymus wrote:

Aaaaarrrrgh... waterproof case!!?!?!!?

Nope! Just my camera in my hands, had to be sure of my footing.

rymus

that's like my worst nightmare. I often have recurring mental images of dropping my camera into the sea off a pier or over a wall or something.

Eirebear

bloody 'ell!
Ok that kinda decides it for me...next chance i get im going back and jumping the fence
And from now on, ill do what i need to get the damn picture....

Eirebear

rymus wrote:

that's like my worst nightmare. I often have recurring mental images of dropping my camera into the sea off a pier or over a wall or something.

yeah thats a horrible feeling....something you actually visualise every time you take your camera onto a pier.

City-Exile

It's all about evaluating the risk & the potential reward.
How risky is it?
Are you likely to get a great shot?

When I was a kid, I used to help my dad to marshall at various car rallys in Cork. I only had a 35mm P&S but I sometimes took advantage of having a high-vis vest & stood in dangerous places, just to get a shot.
Looking back now, I was very stupid, but it was worth it, because it gave me such a buzz about photography.

beans

My personal take on that nightmare-scenario was dropping my camera off the Eiffel Tower (didn't happen, kept dreaming it did)

@TelePaul: I dont know whether to admire your guts or deride you for taking stupid risks with your kit. You can never be sure of your footing in chest-high water! Still, fair play for deciding it was worth it.

TelePaul

rymus wrote:

that's like my worst nightmare. I often have recurring mental images of dropping my camera into the sea off a pier or over a wall or something.

At the time I was more worried of being dragged underwater or over a fall. We should invest in those awesome Lowepro bags

http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Backpacks/waterproof/DryZone_200.aspx

TelePaul

beans wrote:

@TelePaul: I dont know whether to admire your guts or deride you for taking stupid risks with your kit. You can never be sure of your footing in chest-high water! Still, fair play for deciding it was worth it.

Have ya been to Yosemite? And after all, Cameras are just tools. I used to get so pissed when i'd get dirt or rain on mine...but that's kinda par for the course.

beans

I've never been, but I've seen lots of images from the place, and I'm sure it's an awesome place to shoot. I can see how a place like that would inspire one to go offroad.

I have spent a fair bit of time wading in rivers thanks to another hobby of mine, and I know how you can get spun around when you least expect it, especially in a flow

TelePaul

beans wrote:

I've never been, but I've seen lots of images from the place, and I'm sure it's an awesome place to shoot. I can see how a place like that would inspire one to go offroad.

Yeah it's pretty amazing. It actually does take your breath away.

Eirebear

couple more from the day....hopefully elven or odonnell...or any of the scots folk can come on and tell me that it was once a loveley place? :cool:

Calina

It's interesting to see how this went from risk to yourself to risk to your camera, sort of.

I think a lot of people take calculated risks. For example, I won't go messing around the Cliffs of Moher for obvious reasons. If there's a wall, it's not for climbing over...

And I'm not into the trespassing game either which means I probably miss out on many opportunities of dereliction.

That being said, I do go into the sea in Dollymount and Sutton to take pictures of kitesurfers going over my head etc - see the flickr stream for examples. This tends to terrify other people. So I do go to some lengths to get the pictures.

thebaz

over the barricade and into Dunsink dump and halting site or inside Noctors bar Sherriff St --
my sanity or lack off has been questioned at times.

this one caused quite a stir at the time



after consultation they agreed that i could use it ;-)

its not technically brilliant but holds memories for me

Eirebear

Calina wrote:

It's interesting to see how this went from risk to yourself to risk to your camera, sort of.

I think a lot of people take calculated risks. For example, I won't go messing around the Cliffs of Moher for obvious reasons. If there's a wall, it's not for climbing over...

And I'm not into the trespassing game either which means I probably miss out on many opportunities of dereliction.

That being said, I do go into the sea in Dollymount and Sutton to take pictures of kitesurfers going over my head etc - see the flickr stream for examples. This tends to terrify other people. So I do go to some lengths to get the pictures.

I suppose the amount of money and effort spent on your gear is a major factor in what your gonna do with it, weve all spent a fair amount of money on it after all.

As for your situation calina, some of the shots you get are fantastic, do you use any waterproof casing, or do you just go for it?

The tresspassing thing is what interests me in this point though, as im pretty much regretting not jumping over the barrier and risking a slap on the wrists for some photos that hopefully would have been great...but would definetly have been sentimental to me.

Calina

At the moment no. I tend to do the water shots from beaches I know very well, how their tides function. Dollymount when the tide is out is relatively shallow. Sutton has a current so you have to be careful. The camera gets splashed, yes and if I ever drop it rymus will be in CUH the minute he hears. I need a casing for my second next project. My next project involves a 40D, however.

I don't, however, just go for it. I don't go in the water without talking to one or other of the kitesurfers who is going to be buzzing around me.

rymus

I'd definitely go for it Eirebear.No regrets.Most castles and abbeys are off limits these days.If I didn't jump the fences I wouldn't have been able to explore so many of these amazing places.My camera has taken a bit of a battering while climbing but it's only worth €300 so I guess I can take the risks.Without the risk you'll miss out on some great shots.I think it was Sebzy who had some outstanding photos of an abandoned convent in Cavan.In the end the photos were defintely worth the risk imo.

rymus wrote:

depends really.. in general I'd say "as far as you need to go". There have been times where I'd jumped that fence, gone into the derelict hotel that I knew wasnt safe or generally committed acts of trespass to get a photo.

Likewise there's been plenty of times that I didn't bother and took the easy option. I do have a big one in mind for the last year or so that I've got to get back to, but it'll probably have to be an obscenely early morning venture so I don't get rumbled by the constabulary.

Talking about derlict sites,you've got some nice photos of Fort Camden on your site.That place is nothing short of amazing.If you're interested I managed to get into the tunnels.
http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=19793
I didn't get any good pictures but it was worth the risk just to see the place.

Third_Echelon

Check out this site http://www.28dayslater.co.uk

These guys cross all barriers to take pics!

Great site that explores abandoned hospitals, nut houses, tunnels etc...

I was trawling through this site for a couple of hours last night

<edit> doh! just realised that Inibaz just posted this link :-)

Eirebear

wow..thats a very interesting website/forum, will definetly give it a look more often.
its wierd to think that there are so many of these "lost" buildings lying around.
And to think i was worried about a bloody fence!:D
thanks folks...im having a few lightbulb moments after tonight

DonkeyStyle \o/

Yeah very cool website... bookmarked

Thrill

Brilliant site. Some really great stuff in it. I'll be trawling through that for a while.

Fionn

hmmm sometimes you can just get carried away and go too far!! I remember putting myself at considerable risk in Lebanon to get some rather exciting street scenes. Years and years ago i once took photos of after a fight broke out in a local pub - that was going too far!!! got away with it tho, sadly i dont have those photographs any more, so film doesn't always last as long as digital perhaps.
Last year I almost fell from a peak in the Comeraghs I was trying to get a picture of one of the lakes up there, gave the hood on my 24-105 a severe knock - lucky i had it attached - and the picture! for all my effort looked like a little puddle sometimes the risk aint worth it. Treaspassing isn't so bad you can always act dumb! "What Sign?" among other things mostly it's insurance worries that have owners of properties etc. want to keep people out. I got a good talking to by some official at the last bike race i was at cos i was in a run off area taking shots - asked had i "signed in" apparently a lot of these events require freelance and acredited photogs to read their safety statement and sign a waiver for insurance purposes etc. etc. it's all about being covered for the owners/organisers etc.

rymus

Deleted User wrote:

If you're interested I managed to get into the tunnels.
http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=19793
I didn't get any good pictures but it was worth the risk just to see the place.

Ohh heaven! Something tells me I'll be trawling through that website for months to come

Muineach

I nice combo of mud, water, sheep and cow sh*t and add in a splash of oil for good measure.

Eirebear

hehe...nice choice of tan trousers just to make it stick!

Muineach

Eirebear wrote:

hehe...nice choice of tan trousers just to make it stick!

There not "tan" trousers, they're combats with a nice 5 year old pair of CAT boots tan trousers pff

Eirebear

Muineach wrote:

There not "tan" trousers, they're combats with a nice 5 year old pair of CAT boots tan trousers pff

*quickly re-evaluates his mental image of Muineach*

Ok fair enough...at least you were actually dressed for the occasion then!

Muineach

i find the combats great for wildlife work, the extra padding on the knees are great when you kneel down, so you have about 3 layers of material before your knee gets wet, and the CAT's are still waterproof after 5 years

Hrududu

I want to see some of those Yosemite shots now.

Eirebear

Muineach wrote:

i find the combats great for wildlife work, the extra padding on the knees are great when you kneel down, so you have about 3 layers of material before your knee gets wet, and the CAT's are still waterproof after 5 years

TBH ive never been good at dressing for the occasion in any way shape of form, if yer gonna get wet and muddy, yer gonna get wet and muddy.
Nothing to beat getting soaked to the skin, going home and soaking in a hot hot bath and then realising that you got some cracking shots today!:D

Muineach

as they say you can only get wet once
i dont dress for the occasion, its what i wear normally :rolleyes:

TelePaul

I will try dig some up for ya later. It's such an amazing place. I wish there were a few more spots like that in Ireland. Although I suppose it's all about the light.

leinsterman

Not sure if this is really what you meant by "how far will you go for a picture?" ... but as the expression goes ... a picture says a thousand words ... hope your Spanish is up to scratch .... TBH, I intend to go further South than this in the next couple of years ...

ThOnda

I am trying to use some kind of common sense. If I think that the picture would be worth taking it, I am trying tu push the limits.
And I am ready to push it a lot for really good picture. However respecting some basic safety rules and photographed subjects, in my case people.
And I am trying to avoid having problems. That's the best rule I can recommend.

Eirebear

The end of the earth leinsterman?
Looks like a nice place

oshead

I read a v.good article a few months back on Ron Bigelow site. He talks about going outside your comfort zone to get great shots.

Here's the link:
http://www.ronbigelow.com/articles/secret/secret.htm

Dave OS

leinsterman

Eirebear wrote:

The end of the earth leinsterman?
Looks like a nice place

Usuhaia itself is just another town TBH and has a little bit of charm ... but the surrounding location is something very very special ... Tierra Del Fuego the land of fire ...

Eirebear

leinsterman wrote:

Usuhaia itself is just another town TBH and has a little bit of charm ... but the surrounding location is something very very special ... Tierra Del Fuego the land of fire ...

Argentina yeah?
Myself and the wife are looking to go either there or Chile the year after next, might have to bend your ear on the best way to do it closer to the time!

leinsterman

Eirebear wrote:

Argentina yeah?
Myself and the wife are looking to go either there or Chile the year after next, might have to bend your ear on the best way to do it closer to the time!

Any time ... just PM me ... good choice of destination ... but a big place so don't try to do too much ...

bigeoino

Completely agree, I spent 2 months in Argentina and Chile and barely scratched the surface...

A small set:-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eoino/sets/995332/

And, if you need any other info do not hesitate to contact me...

Third_Echelon

bigeoino wrote:

Completely agree, I spent 2 months in Argentina and Chile and barely scratched the surface...

A small set:-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eoino/sets/995332/

And, if you need any other info do not hesitate to contact me...

Fantastic set of pictures there...

Eirebear

Nice one guys, ill give you a shout once we come up with a plan!
Some cracking pics there BTW