Recent Photography Tragedies: Beware of Potential Dangers

Tragedy has struck the world of photography twice during the close of August, and the eye opening events could have happened to anyone. It can’t be stressed enough that photographers take all precautions when shooting in potentially dangerous locations. It’s easy to be overcome with excitement at getting the shot, but the photograph is not always worth the consequences.

Bride Drowns During Wedding Photo Shoot:

As reported by The Daily Mail on August 24th, a bride drowned as she posed for her wedding portraits at a location just north of Montreal. While standing on a large rock, which was in 6–12 inches of rapidly moving water, the bride’s wedding dress became saturated with water and pulled the woman into the rushing water. A three hour search and rescue mission was carried out before the woman’s body was found 20 feet under the surface of the water. Find more details concerning the incident at Daily Mail.

Photographer Killed While Photographing Grizzly Bear:

Also making headlines, on Sunday, August 26th, the Los Angeles times reported the death of a San Diego photographer due to being mauled by a grizzly bear on a trip to Denali National Forest, which is located in Alaska. Using images taken from the photographers camera, officials deducted that the photographer had been within 50 yards of the wild bear, despite the park’s rule that requires a 1/4 mile of space be maintained between people and bears at all times. The photographer photographed the bear for at least eight minutes before the attack. The bear was later destroyed by a state trooper. Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times.

Photographer Nearly Struck Trying to Capture Race Photo:

This photographer was being very foolish while photographing the Karpacz 2012 races in Poland last week, very nearly being run down by two race cars:

Cases such as the recent ones listed above are not isolated incidents. Accidents can and do happen on a daily basis. Using good judgement and safety considerations can make the difference between life and death. Use caution and stay safe out there!

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