Injuries during a Photoshoot

[Lonnie1212]

Hi Folks,

An article could be written about injuries and safety issues on outdoor photoshoots. On November 13, 2022. My son and I went on a photoshoot in the mountains of east Kentucky. During the photoshoot I wanted to step down a small slope to get a better position for a particular mountain photograph. I took a step down the slope and there was no stepping down the slope. The grass was as slick as ice and my feet went out from under me and I landed flat on my back and slid down a couple of feet. It really knocked the wind out of me. Was carrying a Nikon D750 and a 24-120 lens. I think it was laying on my chest after the fall. But after I caught my breath I stood up and discovered that I could not move my left arm. My jacket, pants, and camera with the lens were covered with mud.

Got an x-ray the next morning. There were no broken bones. But the MRI revealed a torn rotator cuff on the left shoulder. On January 12 I have an appointment with a surgeon to talk about surgery. I am in a lot of pain.

Please be careful during photoshoots. Learn how to do a safety and risk assessment before going on a trip. Be aware that not all areas have cell phone coverage. Make plans for an injury or an accident before it happens.

Thank you,

Lonnie

 

[JoeW]

Spot on. Sorry for your injuries and I hope all goes well.

Right now, I've got a serious limp because of my right knee--twisted it driving south to Florida when I stopped in Georgia to take pictures. I've got a doctor's appointment in a week to have it looked at in order to get a referral for an ortho visit.

 

[dunfly]

It is easy to get so focused on the shot that you lose track of your surroundings. When we were in Africa, one of our group backed right off a high walkway and was seriously injured. I try to make a point of looking around before I make a move.

 

[Ozzie_Traveller]

G'day Lonnie

Pleased to hear that you're okay - even tho you will need follow-up medical activities
Your message and thoughts are most valid to / for us photographers

We have a deceased family member who was found at the bottom of a 200-foot cliff, still with his cameras around his neck. He had crossed the safety barrier "to get a better shot"

Phil

 

[Jeff15]

We all have to try and stay safe when shooting, had my share of slips and bumps over the years....

 

[cgw]

Always carry a small first aid kit in all my bags--band-aids, surgical tape, 4x4 gauze pads, Tylenol and antihistamines. I'm mostly an urban shooter but all this stuff has been used, less for me than others cut/scraped from falls, bike/skateboard accidents, insect stings/allergic reactions. A regular photo buddy who is St. John Ambulance-trained has CPR-d a couple people before the firemen/EMS crew arrived.

 

[Lonnie1212]

Spot on. Sorry for your injuries and I hope all goes well.

Right now, I've got a serious limp because of my right knee--twisted it driving south to Florida when I stopped in Georgia to take pictures. I've got a doctor's appointment in a week to have it looked at in order to get a referral for an ortho visit.

Thank you for responding Joe. I wish you the best with your appointment.

 

[Lonnie1212]

It is easy to get so focused on the shot that you lose track of your surroundings. When we were in Africa, one of our group backed right off a high walkway and was seriously injured. I try to make a point of looking around before I make a move.

Thank you for responding dunfly. It is good to hear your input. It sounds very interesting.

 

[Lonnie1212]

G'day Lonnie

Pleased to hear that you're okay - even tho you will need follow-up medical activities
Your message and thoughts are most valid to / for us photographers

We have a deceased family member who was found at the bottom of a 200-foot cliff, still with his cameras around his neck. He had crossed the safety barrier "to get a better shot"

Phil

Hi Phil,

It is good to hear from you. Thank you for sharing your input. I am truly sorry to hear about your family member. It is good to follow the safety guidelines. But sometime curiosity gets the best of people.

 

[Lonnie1212]

We all have to try and stay safe when shooting, had my share of slips and bumps over the years....

Hi Jeff15,

It is good to hear your input. It appears that I am not the only one.

 

[Lonnie1212]

Always carry a small first aid kit in all my bags--band-aids, surgical tape, 4x4 gauze pads, Tylenol and antihistamines. I'm mostly an urban shooter but all this stuff has been used, less for me than others cut/scraped from falls, bike/skateboard accidents, insect stings/allergic reactions. A regular photo buddy who is St. John Ambulance-trained has CPR-d a couple people before the firemen/EMS crew arrived.

That sounds like good advice. I think I will look into buying a first aid kit. Thank you for sharing this information.

 

[ApertureF11Sniper]

I have had injured my ego while shooting, that can be pretty serious.

 

[snowbear]

I have found, as I get older, my balance is not as good and I do things like look down when I'm on steps and use hand-holds most of the time.

Always look where you are stepping or placing your hands. There are creepy-crawlies that can damage you, mostly in wilderness or outback, but there are a few in urban areas. I once got bitten by a big of some kind while on a hike in the woods and it got infected.

Be carefull out there.

 

[cdd29]

Last night I was doing light painting around a covered bridge. Usually for something like this I have a second person (my daughter) with me to help but I was solo. Takes alot of effort to hit the self timer & run into the bridge to a spot I won't show up on camera. Well, I tripped & my shoe came off and the strobe went tumbling down the road. Wasn't damaged other a few scuffs but my hand is still sore. Normally I use a phone app but it wasn't talking to the camera last night for some reason. I need to look into a different type of remote shutter release.

 

[ApertureF11Sniper]

I was shooting once with Jordan, we had a wheel on loan from a local Les Schwab we were on a dead end road shooting swimsuit, it was a BIG truck tire.... Something about the pose she fell and the tire fell over onto her pinning her are.....I ran over to help her but lol at the last second thought I should get a picture of it so I shot from the hip... She was okay but a little mad that I thought to take a picture.

On shoots with models I have delt with bats, bees, that aggressive rouge tire lol and other things.

First aid kit is a great idea.