My experiences and close calls with some advice on staying safe.

I’ve discovered as a photographer I must stay safe and reasonably fit. I regularly clamber over rocks, walk up high hills and mountains, climb sandy dunes, wade through tall grasses, fossic through low trees and bushes, slush through piles of snow, scale fences and so on……

I’ve fallen over so many times I’ve lost count.

My back is quite scarred from trying to slip through barbed wire fences, naa just kidding, but many a good article of clothing has been ripped and never worn again.

I’ve been hit by a massive rogue wave.

Only once as I learnt my lesson well and truly, I lost some good camera gear and all food and drink were gone, and all towels and clothing, back packs and chairs were soaked and unusable for the rest of the day. The surf was pumping,  a huge swell was rolling in, however I noted that spectators and other photographers sat well away from the shoreline….not me,  I thought, I’ll get up close and personal for that one in a million brilliant surf shot!! Within moments a wave crashed on to the shore, the surge was extremely strong and totally unexpected. Hmm, that’s why all those others were well away from the surf break! Consequently I am extremely cautious around the ocean. I will never wander too close to the shoreline when the surf is up and the waves and swell are big. Camera gear is very expensive and not readily replaced.

I’ve been lost.

Oooohh I must say perhaps this is the worst moment of my photographic career. The time was sunset, my location was a massive salt lake which was surrounded by quite a lot of bush land. So having happily snapped away till the sun sunk below the horizon, I then turned to head home. I must point out, I have the worst sense of direction known to human kind.
I realised quite quickly I was very lost and would head in a direction then back track and start again, this process was repeated until it got quite dark. I then began to panic and started rushing, finally I back tracked a last time to my initial starting point, I calmed myself down took a few landmarks, and tried to keep heading in a straight line. Eventually I came out near a road and saw my car in the dim light about half a kilometre down the road. What a relief. If I go out photographing at this time of day and to this type of location I now take a compass and a torch! And I will often leave little landmarks, you know piles of rocks and twig pointers, but never breadcrumbs like Hansel and Gretel.

I’ve been bitten by a deadly brown snake.

It was a dry bite, phew..(a dry bite means no venom is released as the snake gets a fright but it can apparently distinguish between prey and other obstacles, so somehow it knew my leg was not a mouse.) But I still spent a day in hospital. Side note here.. I was wearing sneakers and shorts and stepped into a pile of leaves to get that golden shot of a blade of grass in the morning sun. I only felt a faint sharp twinge in the back of my leg and upon examining the leg there were two clearly defined fang marks. I looked around and saw nothing so decided it cannot have possibly been a snake, so I walked home, checking my pulse every so often, just to make sure I was still alive. When I finally got home I remembered an awful story I had once read about a man who had been mowing his lawn, never felt a thing but died that night as he had been bitten by a brown snake. So I headed for the hospital where they monitor you for 12 hours. Another lesson learnt!

I’ve been completely blown over by the wind.

On the big storm day READ HERE.  I tried to climb down to a beach we regularly frequented, the car door practically flew off its hinges and I struggled to close it, then I began to try to get to the staircase which descended to the beach. I had to grip the wire on the side rails and when I let go it literally blew me over onto the rocks nearby. I kind of crawled back to the car and figured…well, we wont be getting many photographs today.

I’ve been soaked by the rain so many times.

Anticapating exactly when the rain will arrive is not one of my best insights. And my journey back to the car always takes a lot longer than I think.

I’ve fallen down a huge concealed hole.

Which happened to be a mutton bird nest. I stepped into the hole and disappeared up to my waist. I don’t have the foggiest notion why a tiny mutton bird would build such an enormous nest beneath the ground. My thigh was very badly scratched and quite painful I might add.

What a life hey?

There are not many times in my life that I can look down at my legs and not see scratches and scars!

Life as a dedicated landscape photographer is not for the faint hearted!

My advice and tips for staying safe:

1. Carry a bit of first aid.

2. Take your phone and if there is no reception, which most times there isn’t, always tell someone where you are and what time you’ll be back.

3. Carry a compass.

4. Carry a torch if photographing at sunset.

5. If it is a long journey, of course, carry food and water.

6. Stay fit, I try to exercise every day to maintain strength and fitness for those steep hill climbs and traversing rocky terrain. Yes and sand dunes are quite huge and can take large amounts of energy and time to travel over.

7. Watch the sun and head home before it is too dark to see. This is one rule I stick to religiously.

8. Don’t take unnecessary risks, it is just not worth a photograph if your life is in danger. Around Yorke Peninsula there are many huge and dramatic cliffs, I always keep well back, as there are some rocky cliffs which at the upper most point are suspended at least a metre or so out into the air. A heavy human could easily cause this to break off and fall into the ocean.

9. Wear snake protectors if traversing any types of terrain in Australia.

Don’t look down!!

Foam and waves have washed a normally golden sandy beach completely away. This is a day not to take a walk along the beach.

Above is the vast salt lake that I was photographing on the day I got lost. You can see the colours as the sun sets, and in the distance you can see the lake is surrounded by bush.

Much of South Australia’s outback is rough and rocky terrain.

Climbing a cliff that had an old track winding up the hill.

Please don’t stand too close to cliff edges. 

Never change a camera lens in a sand dune or on a windy day

The life of a photographer often takes the road less travelled.

Despite all the setbacks and dangers I’ve encountered, my hope for you is that you continue to explore and push the boundaries of your craft.

As you develop a resilience, this will be what makes you a great photographer,

Safety tips on carrying essential gear are crucial, and they emphasize that being prepared is often the difference between a bad experience and a great story.

Through it all, you will  develop a deep respect for the natural world, that keeps calling you back!

Want some extra info:

Here is a great blog article  for those photographers that travel alot. READ HERE

All images are taken by Wendy Philip. No AI generated images.